Anime Questions, Recommendations, and Discussion - October 21, 2026

16

u/Gamerunglued myanimelist.net/profile/GamerUnglued 9h ago edited 6h ago

I've been in the process of moving in into a townhouse and it's gotten me thinking about people who say they can't relate to anything about high schoolers anymore. For the past week or so I've been in this in-between period where the rental is approved but the furniture hasn't been brought over so I'm not living in it yet. Existing stagnantly in the middle of this transitory period reminded me a lot of many a coming-of-age anime as well as some series about characters older than me.

That feeling is central behind some of the best episodes of series like K-On and Aria, and some series build their entire stories around it (Just Because comes to mind). This is what I imagine Yamada meant when she talked about Tamako "standing at the entrance to the universe." It is likewise similar to the sentiment of some episodes of Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu where the characters and Rakugo itself are stuck in purgatory between the traditions of old and the modern age with an unknown direction, as well as the transition between life and death.

Being stuck between two periods of time that represent new stages of growing up can happen to high school kids in their final days before graduation, adults with fully storied lives determining the future of their field, and to a nearly 30 year old man with a full time job finally finding a degree of independence and economic mobility. Maybe it's not exactly identical, but the combination of emotions certainly feels comparable, which is why such statements about relating to characters based on age continue to be nonsense to me.

3

u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad 8h ago

I think not being able to relate with high school anime has more to do with the viewer's experiences and the things they cared about at that age (or any age) being completely different from the characters' experiences. For example, I could never relate to the characters who treat their clubs or sports like it's the most important thing in the world to them, or the ones who view high school as a super special place/time in their lives, because all of the things that really mattered to me were outside of school. On the other hand, I could relate a lot to Isaki from Insomniacs After School with her health concerns. The other stuff like K-On can still be cute or fun to watch, but it does lack that connection or common ground with the characters for me.

The actual things they value matter just as much as the feelings behind it, in my opinion, as far as relatability goes. Just like there's a huge difference between someone dealing with the in between period of high school to college life, and a character like Sousuke from Full Metal Panic dealing with the in between of going from the battlefield to civilian life, even if the base concept is similar.

11

u/Gamerunglued myanimelist.net/profile/GamerUnglued 8h ago

The point is more that this is age agnostic. If you can't relate to a high school character giving their all to a club or sport and treating it as extremely important, then you can't relate to an adult doing that for things or groups they care about either. On the other hand, if you're someone who treats everything they do, such as their work, as if it's the most important thing, then that carries over to other things such as a club or sport. The emotions and values, not the strict content, is what determines relatability. The context need not be an exact match, relatability is about sentiment.

The actual things they value matter just as much as the feelings behind it, in my opinion, as far as relatability goes.

I do not think these are separate. The values determine the feelings. If a transitory period is something that's made an impact on you, then the emotions of transition are relatable, even if there is additional context that can shift the nuances a bit. Again, weather it's the characters in K-On dealing with graduation looming overhead or the characters in Rakugo stuck in the transition between life and death and the uncertainty of their art form and life's work, the emotions of transition are constant and thus all are relatable. I don't relate to the cast of Rakugo at all except for on this point, because the emotions of transition are constant. This period of my life reminds me of my own graduation too. If transition didn't leave any impact on you and you don't consider it noteworthy, then neither of those series will be relatable. Age is not relevant here. If the things left an impact and you can recognize the emotions, you are relating to it. I can't speak to the specifics of FMP, but I don't see how it would be any different from Rakugo in this context.

2

u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad 7h ago

If you can't relate to a high school character giving their all to a club or sport and treating it as extremely important, then you can't relate to an adult doing that for things or groups they care about either. On the other hand, if you're someone who treats everything they do, such as their work, as if it's the most important thing, then that carries over to other things such as a club or sport. The emotions and values, not the strict content, is what determines relatability. The context need not be an exact match, relatability is about sentiment.

I disagree. From my perspective, the content and specifics behind what the character is going through absolutely matters for the sake of relatability. If the thing they're stressing about like it's the end of the world is their high school club or band breaking up, then it's going to feel to me like an overreaction to something that, while it may be an enjoyable pastime for them, is insignificant to their livelihood in the long run. Meanwhile, if an adult character feels like the whole world is crashing down on them because they lost their job and are now worried about how to support their family, that reaction is very appropriate.

While not specifically a matter of age, I think it stands out more in high school anime because that's the sort of life experience they're portraying, and if the viewer doesn't connect with it, or wants a more "serious" story, then the challenges of average students can seem trivial or fall flat.

7

u/Gamerunglued myanimelist.net/profile/GamerUnglued 7h ago edited 7h ago

I think you're missing the point here. A band breaking up and losing your job are not the same thing in sentiment. They do not elicit the same emotions and don't apply to each other in sentiment. Rather, if an adult were to treat their band breaking up as the end of the world, that would also be an overreaction. A high school student treating the break-up of their band as the end of the world and an adult treating the break-up of their high school band as the end of the world would both be unrelatable and overreaction to you, or relatable to someone who does get very emotional over trivial things. Likewise, an adult treating a meet-up group's disbandment as if it's the end of the world, something that's actually applicable, would be unrelatable to you or relatable to someone who treats trivial things intensely. As such, age is irrelevant. The sentiment here is "treating trivial things very intensely." An adult or kid doing it doesn't make a difference for relating because that overreaction is what makes it unrelatable, regardless of if a high school student or an adult is the one doing the overreaction or what it is an overreaction to.

Freaking out over losing you job is an entirely different sentiment, it has no applicability to a band breaking up. At the same time, some scaled down versions of events can carry over. Important deadline for work or self-imposed deadline for a hobby, dealing with procrastination and executive dysfunction is the same sentiment. The emotions still have to match, but the situation need not be exact for the emotions to apply. The emotions just don't apply in the example you gave. Transition does not change just because you are an adult, which I say from experience.

2

u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad 7h ago

My examples may have been a bit more extreme, but the examples you gave between the high schoolers and their adult counterparts are quite different as well. The emotion of losing something important to them, something that they may feel even defines them, would technically be the same in both cases, but from an outside perspective, one of them has a lot more importance.

The point is, this is likely what people are referring to when they say they find high school anime unrelatable - it's the things that the characters are going through which feel trivial to them, or too far removed from their own lives to be seen as an interesting or compelling struggle in comparison to their concerns as adults.

5

u/Gamerunglued myanimelist.net/profile/GamerUnglued 6h ago

but from an outside perspective, one of them has a lot more importance

I don't see how this is the case at all. Your high school club band and your adult hobby band are equally trivial. And both are as trivial as your adult meet-up group disbanding or your favorite TV show ending (at either age) or anything else that doesn't be have obvious consequences on your life. From an outside perspective, I fail to see how the importance shifts.

And even if it did shift slightly, the sentiment would still be mostly applicable. Living on your own for the first time is a little bit different than graduating from high school, and has more importance, but the emotions of transitioning into an unknown future still carry over in my life, reminding me of both that time in my own life as well as anime about it. I basically gave 4 examples: my high school graduation, my moving to live on my own, the characters in K-On graduating, and the characters in Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu transitioning the future of their art forms and mortality. I am treating these as all roughly equivalent, at least enough to be recognizable as the same set of emotions and therefore all relatable.

1

u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad 6h ago

The point I'm trying to make is that when people are looking for anime with adult characters (or simply tired of anime set in the high school environment), they usually want to see characters who find themselves in situations or who have a perspective that aligns more with their life experiences. An adult character isn't likely to overreact to their band breaking up like a teenager does, and in the cases where adult characters are shown acting more like teens, those shows tend to get called out for it. Viewers connect with different things, and for some, the actual situations or challenges the characters face matter more in terms of relatability than the emotions they're feeling because of it. A feeling or triumph, or feeling of loss, or the uncertainty of a transition period, hits different depending on what exactly is lost or gained, or looming on the horizon for them.

5

u/Gamerunglued myanimelist.net/profile/GamerUnglued 5h ago edited 5h ago

You're ultimately addressing a different person than I am. I'm not addressing someone who wants to see more adult characters or is burned out of a setting they find repetitive. I am addressing the sentiment that high school aged characters are inherently less or even un-relatable because you're older and that stuff is behind you. That stuff is never truly behind you. I'm talking about the person who says "I can't enjoy high school stories because I no longer relate to them," that's now how relating works; with my life and characters of various ages as examples given.

An adult character is very much likely to overreact to a band's break-up. Having intense emotions or caring about things deeply is not inherently childish, and adults have overreacted to far less than that (Karens are a real phenomenon). But it's kind of besides the point here, since I'm saying that if you overreact, weather you're a kid or an adult, you might find characters who also do that (weather they are a kid or adult) relatable. I also feel like you are ignoring my example of Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu, which I used specifically because it is about older adults (and a show that is aimed at older adults) dealing with far weightier subject matter. The very point of that example is to address the sentiment that:

feeling or triumph, or feeling of loss, or the uncertainty of a transition period, hits different depending on what exactly is lost or gained, or looming on the horizon for them.

Isn't true in this particular context of relating to the core emotion behind the experience. As long as the the situation is reasonably applicable, the emotions it evokes are similar enough. Weather it's the adults in Rakugo dealing with their mortality, the young folks of K-On seeing the end of a routine, or myself who is aged between them looking at independence (Nana is an anime example about characters of a similar age dealing with something more strictly similar in content; which is roughly the same amount of relatability as seeing this sentiment in Rakugo and Tamako), the emotions are recognizable and therefore applicable and relatable.

1

u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad 5h ago

I'm not addressing someone who wants to see more adult characters or is burned out of a setting they find repetitive. I am addressing the sentiment that high school aged characters are inherently less or even un-relatable because you're older and that stuff is behind you. That stuff is never truly behind you. I'm talking about the person who says "I can't enjoy high school stories because I no longer relate to them," that's now how relating works

I mean, this sentiment of high school stories being unrelatable is exactly why those people are feeling burnt out on them. And relating to a story or not works differently for each individual, whether the general emotions of the character or the thing that brought out that emotional reaction resonates more with them. Someone dealing with their mortality is obviously going to have a different, much more serious, "end of a phase of life" feeling than a high school girl's routine changing.

→ More replies

1

u/zambonijesus 40m ago

If the thing they're stressing about like it's the end of the world is their high school club or band breaking up, then it's going to feel to me like an overreaction to something that, while it may be an enjoyable pastime for them, is insignificant to their livelihood in the long run.

When you are in high school the break up of your band or whatever IS the end of the world.

Also high school experiences can be extremely formative to the rest of your life so saying it's insignificant to their livelihood in the long run is pretty a pretty narrow view.

1

u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad 30m ago

That sort of worldview depends highly on the person. I never saw things like that as important even in high school, so I don't relate to it.

1

u/zambonijesus 4m ago

I guess I don't need to have personally cared about the same thing to understand and relate to someone being upset about something happening to something they do care a lot about.

8

u/tripleaamin https://myanimelist.net/profile/tripleaamin 10h ago

Goes to episode discussion for Cheat Mage and top comment says Rein is a sociopath. I swear the anime community constantly uses words that they don't know the definition of.

Anyway regaerding the episode.

[Episode 3]Damn they really turned the tone in this episode quite more serious. I do hope it's more to build the dynamic between Lily & Margaret to keep the comedic tone. Rein in the final part had me in tears.

5

u/Charmanders_Cock 10h ago

Watching people fumble around trying to compare Cheat Mage to literally anything they can think of has been really fun. It’s only going to get more nonsensical too.

5

u/tripleaamin https://myanimelist.net/profile/tripleaamin 9h ago

Outside of comparisons to Konosuba. None of them make sense to me.

2

u/mekerpan 1h ago

I think it has a very different FEEL from Konosuba. Maybe this is due to the more laid-back attitude of the main male character. Whatever they are doing, I am happy to be watching....

1

u/PGleo86 https://myanimelist.net/profile/PGleo86 18m ago

I don't really think it's the laid-back attitude... Kazuma is a bit of a bastard, but you can't help but like him in spite of it. Rein is just... kinda clueless, bumbling, the wheel is spinning but the hamster's dead, definitely the sharpest bulb in the box...

They're both fantasy comedies but that's where the similarities end for me (at least so far - I'm 3 episodes into Cheat Mage, and 3 seasons, a movie, and 17 LN volumes into Konosuba... so not really comparable in terms of passing judgement that way).

1

u/Psyduckisnotaduck 2h ago

Rein is delulu but he’s a good guy, idgi

5

u/louismyers2227 9h ago

Started watching Midori Days yesterday. Almost halfway through. Very fun and wholesome show. I haven't watched many early 2000s anime but there's definitely a certain charm to them. In fact a similar charm that GTO had despite it being dark at times and being very different in a lot of ways. Something about these shows with like episodic or mini arcs where there isn't necessarily the biggest stakes ever but still different then the slice of life shows we see today. Hard to explain. But if anyone knows what I'm talking about and have recommendations based off that I would love to know what y'all recommend.

1

u/baquea 4h ago

Chobits is great

1

u/alotmorealots 49m ago

I watched Akikan around the same time as Midori Days and had a good time with it!

6

u/isthatsoudane https://myanimelist.net/profile/ojoulover 15h ago

caught up on romelia. it's interesting! a worthy recommendation

I do not fully trust that it will go somewhere interesting, but I think there is a chance. it's playing with a lot of elements, if they come together it could be really great, but I could also see it fizzling. the joy of seasonal anime! (not meant sarcastically!)

I remember people saying they don't like romelia...I think that is interesting. I like her! I don't think she's like, an epic waifu type, but she clearly has stuff going on. I guess it's up to the story to sort of...do something interesting with the elements it has hinted at, and there's a significant chance it will flop at that, but I appreciate that she clearly is cooking something

3

u/AmethystItalian myanimelist.net/profile/AmethystItalian 12h ago

Yeahhhhh I found myself liking it more than I probably should, I should be tired of the kicked out of hero's party and engagement broken plots but here I am being very intrigued by this one

4

u/isthatsoudane https://myanimelist.net/profile/ojoulover 12h ago

I appreciate that the show barely spent any time on that and it really focused on her and her plan. a girl with a plan!

2

u/SSjjlex https://myanimelist.net/profile/Clone_Tau 15h ago

I do not fully trust that it will go somewhere interesting, but I think there is a chance

Sums up how I feel. So many places where it could fail, small hints and pieces there that kinda turn me off (most apparent are the usual tropes they used to set up the world. If it were more blatant about being a kicked out the party broken betrothal whatever story I wouldn't've ever touched it), but like, its doing a solid job in spite of it all and I'm absolutely down for the ride whether it ends up good or not.

I'm really liking Romelia and the dynamic she has with her troops. Not sure where her story is heading but the mystique of it all keeps me going.

3

u/alotmorealots 13h ago

You see, I used to think along similar lines up until after episode 2 when I realized that this sort of doubt and skepticism in the face of her already demonstrated qualities was exactly the sort of nonsense Romelia has to put up with in her world too.

So, with that in mind, I'm all in, will raise the Romelia standard, carry water and bear arms for her. This time I'd rather go down the ship with knowledge I brooked no compromised feelings than be modestly proven right in doubt on the sidelines.

Against the demons we march!

1

u/flamethrower2 13h ago

You can rag on fantasy slop villains for idiotically disregarding the importance of support skills. The protagonist's skill is almost always a support skill, although the story can work when it's not, I saw this in [work title, not an anime] The Strongest Wizard Making Full Use of the Strategy Guide . But [Romelia's skill] is a secret to everybody, like the villains can't be faulted for not knowing, there is no way they could know.

1

u/Zeallfnonex https://myanimelist.net/profile/Neverlocke 13h ago

I'll say that I didn't watch E3, and I've very close to dropping it already, we'll see... but the setup it has gone for seems to be a "Romelia can do nothing wrong and will be correct about everything, always." The scene where she was lecturing the recruits about something they already should have known (the royal army won't be sent to help minor villages) and the recruits didn't know it sent up all sorts of red flags for me. That should have been something the recruits were painfully aware of in a long, ongoing war, even grumbling and griping about it themselves... but they didn't know it just so Romelia could have another "look how smart I am" moment.

I had fairly high expectations from the praises being given to the show, but... after the first 2 episodes, my expectations have hit rock bottom.

3

u/tripleaamin https://myanimelist.net/profile/tripleaamin 11h ago

I would argue the recruits are much more incompetent than they are ignorant or lacking knowledge. They have more of the mindset of "Why do we have to fight?"

Romelia's point is more about facing reality than informing them. It's a scene that is meant to motivate not to inform them.

1

u/PSnotADoctor 26m ago

The show is making a big mystery of what it's actually about, but this whole "no one cares about villages until Romelia shows up" is definitely iffy. I mean, the base is a castle town. Where does the food come from if the demons are casually burning villages?

The castle manager gave up those recruits like they were doing nothing and a gotcha, but if you don't intend to use them, why recruit in the first place?

I do think there are a decent number of seeds that could make this show good, and I dont necessarily mind a bit of rushed setup to quickstart a story the author wants to tell.

5

u/Mitsuyan_ https://anilist.co/user/mitsuyan 15h ago

Finally been on the kick of watching all the big name anime I've missed out on. MHA has been a side project for the last few months, and the rest of my binges have been Dr Stone (on S3) AOT (S1) and I've just restarted Shield Hero, so I've got a nice rotation going. Predictably, they're all enjoyable enough watches, Shield Hero at least is engaging, and Dr Stone has my heart.

3

u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad 11h ago

Dr. Stone is great fun. I really enjoyed seasons 1-3, and I'm planning to catch up around the end of the year now that the series is complete.

And I'm also rewatching Attack on Titan now. It's one of my favorites! What did you think of the first season?

7

u/SSjjlex https://myanimelist.net/profile/Clone_Tau 14h ago edited 14h ago

What's the consensus on Marronnier and Satou-san? Had both on my list at the start but never got past watching the 1st episodes and might just leave it at that if I don't hear anything special

8

u/Capable-Towel-6302 14h ago

Maronnier is just... kinda interesting. Certainly need more episodes for judgment.

1

u/AtheistTheConfessor 14h ago

I agree with this. The setup was goofy fun, but I’m not sure how the story itself is going to hold up.

4

u/AmethystItalian myanimelist.net/profile/AmethystItalian 12h ago

Funny enough two shows I was planning to ask about as well haha thank you for doing it!

5

u/Durinthal https://anilist.co/user/Durinthal 11h ago

Satou-san might not be bad for you, they spend a decent amount of time together out the gate. Wouldn't be my first recommendation of the season though, that goes to Hello, I Am a Witch and My Crush Wants Me to Make a Love Potion!.

Marronnier is interesting but also kind of slow so far, characters are a bit quirky but I'm fine with seeing where it goes.

4

u/AmethystItalian myanimelist.net/profile/AmethystItalian 11h ago

that goes to Hello, I Am a Witch and My Crush Wants Me to Make a Love Potion!.

Just caught up to that today, very cute so far!

Think I'll wait a bit more on both then, still so behind on many shows and such

3

u/entelechtual 14h ago

I’ve watched the first two episodes of Satou. This is just one person’s opinion but it’s one of the worst romance anime I’ve seen in several seasons if not years. Stiff characters, lazy writing, unfunny, unmoving.

1

u/SSjjlex https://myanimelist.net/profile/Clone_Tau 13h ago

I'm pretty used to trashy/gimmicky romance shows, but I def don't recall seeing anything really standout from episode 1. Incredibly basic stuff without any hook. Only thing that really caught my eye was the dad but no way he can solo carry a show even with those muscles (and anyways he felt way too quirky for my tastes)

1

u/Durinthal https://anilist.co/user/Durinthal 13h ago

I don't disagree on your statements about its quality but I guess it's saying something about the landscape that I think it's merely bland, not among the worst in a while.

1

u/entelechtual 4h ago

I mean I’m out here defending Magical Explorer so I think everyone’s trash tolerance is different.

2

u/mekerpan 12h ago

So far I prefer Sato-san to Marroniers (despite the fact that Marroniers is conceptually far more potentially interesting).

2

u/ptd163 6h ago

What's the consensus on Marronnier and Satou-san?

I started Marronnier because I was told there'd be Greek mythology, but there hasn't been any so it's kinda of there for me as something to watch. I'm enjoying Satou-san so far though. Neither would be my first recommendations for new shows though. Those would probably be Hello, I Am a Witch and My Crush Wants Me to Make a Love Potion! and Even the Student Council Has Its Holes!

2

u/Tomorrow_Big 13h ago

Sato-san is interesting. On one hand, episode 3 had an exceedingly surprising development, which could be good. On the other hand, episode 3 had a rather unfortunate development, which could be bad.

Marronnier is still in a wait-and-see territory for me.

1

u/cppn02 7h ago

Funny enough two shows I was planning to ask about as well haha thank you for doing it!

Dropped Satou-san, still undecided about Marronnier. I like a lot of what it's doing but the individual parts aren't coming together yet to a whole that is as good as I was hoping it would be.
Probably will decide in the next 1-2 episodes wether it's a keeper or not.

4

u/Emi_Ibarazakiii 6h ago

When someone makes a video on the top like 5000 best OP of fall 2026, and my #1 frontrunner didn't even make the cut

The next best OP contest is gonna be pain.

2

u/ptd163 4h ago

The next best OP contest is gonna be pain.

If Recollect is eligible, but doesn't do well I'm going to be angry. It's easily the best Re:Zero OP so far and one of the best OPs I've seen all year. I can count on two hands how many OP and EDs I've actually downloaded and listen to as just good songs. Recollect is one of them.

2

u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad 2h ago

Which one was your fall fave? You've probably mentioned it before, but it's easy to forget for someone like me who doesn't watch seasonally.

(Here's your opportunity to shill it again.)

2

u/Emi_Ibarazakiii 36m ago

Horror Collector!

(Mostly for the song obviously)

2

u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad 25m ago

Pretty good song! It's not a show I would've checked out because horror's not my thing, and I don't usually watch OPs unless the show itself catches my interest.

6

u/BigBootyBuff 15h ago

Finished Hell Mode. Thought it was a really fun isekai that delivered well above my expectations. It has some good world building, the characters are likeable and it has good build ups with nice pay offs. I know it's another OP isekai protagonist but I appreciate that he does genuinely have to work and grind a lot more than anyone else to be able to keep up and be as powerful as he is. He also still needs to figure out strategies to win fights. Also appreciate that the other team members aren't obsolete either just because he's powerful.

With that said, it's not perfect either. The animation can be very mediocre and I do think season 2 feels a little rushed in parts.

12

u/GondolaMedia 8h ago edited 7h ago

I finished Dear Brother and let it simmer for a bit and I can safely say that this is my favorite Dezaki anime. I've only seen Ashita no Joe and that was decade+ ago and even not counting the iconic ending there are still some moments that stuck with me but this is not about Joe. First of all the production of Dear Brother has aged so well. I was mostly impressed by the hair animation, the usage of shadows and the audio directing [Dear Brother audio]the box cutter. I also don't remember if Joe used the postcard visuals so liberally as at times it felt like Dear Brother couldn't go on for a minute till an another Dezaki mandated postcard. Maybe I'm used to the postcard being referenced once per show so they didn't feel special here.

Dear Brother is a character drama that yes does get melodramatic but the struggles the characters face are realistic and considering that the original manga was written in the 70s the story has aged well, mostly. Class struggle, bullying, girls love, [Dear Brother]substance abuse, breast cancer and suicide Dear Brother has it all. Our characters are all great and I do have some thoughts about few of them.

Mariko gave me tons of pause early on as I couldn't tell if she was ride or die for Nanako or if she was trying to monopolize and user her for her own gains and [Dear Brother Mariko]she kinda did but it all stemmed from fact that she felt lonely and I just felt sad for her, especially during her birthday party. I can't express how happy I felt for her when she, Nanako and Tomoko became friends after that rocky start. Makes that later episode with Mariko at home with a box cutter and Nanako and Tomoko turning up just in time to stop her for doing anything reckless all the better (for now). I also really liked how the show handled Miya-sama and the Sorority and by the end and you can tell that the creator of The Rose of Versailles wrote this (I'm only assuming because... I haven't actually watched it. I assume this is an accurate depiction of it).

Lastly I want to talk about Rei. Pill poppin, chain smoking, gorgeous looking disaster lesbian. She had an amazing journey and she became one of my favorite characters. [Rei]Her substance abuse and self-destructive behavior was hard to watch. She pushes back on everyone that tries to help her and that makes for a good story. On early and middle point of the show she will make self-destructive decisions that she rationalizes as sort of penance for her past actions towards her sister. Thankfully she turns it around thanks to support from mainly from Nanako and Kaoru and Rei becomes a love interest for Nanako and a support pillar for other characters to lean on.

[Rei ending]I had forgotten all about the trope "Bury your Gays" until Rei's death hit me. What a tragic death, just as Rei has gotten her life back together she dies in an accident on her way to meet up with Nanako for their date. My annoyance with the trope aside: The reaction to her death by the other characters is so well done and it shook me as well. One of the most emotional deaths in anime.

Dear Brother good, go watch it.

5

u/baboon_bassoon https://anilist.co/user/duffer 7h ago

that the creator of The Rose of Versailles wrote this (I'm only assuming because... I haven't actually watched it. I assume this is an accurate depiction of it).

oh you gotta hop on, its also Dezaki after the first like 10 episodes

2

u/GondolaMedia 7h ago

I saw that MAL credits him from episode 19 onwards. Might have to move it up.

2

u/Nomar_95 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Nomar_95 6h ago

The cool thing is that even if you don't know the specific episode, you can immediately tell when he enters the scene. He just has a very distinct style, and it continues being great throughout the rest of the show.

5

u/Infodump_Ibis 4h ago

and the audio directing

Dear Brother was the first stereo anime to be broadcast on NHK BS2 (one of the first stereo TV anime^* in general, movies and OVAs had been stereo for a long time prior) although I don't know if there was anything stereo specific in a gimmick sense.

^*-If you're interested this old website (wayback machine or wait for the PHP Apocalypse to end) has that sort of info.

5

u/BaytaCosmico https://myanimelist.net/profile/AnimeBayta 9h ago

Shiki's been great fun so far (just about to start ep 10), but the best thing about it has to be the excellent score and that ridiculously catchy OP. My brain keeps breaking into the oide chorus at random times through the day.

1

u/theangryeditor 16m ago

It's so good and fitting

4

u/michhoffman https://anilist.co/user/michhoffman 13h ago edited 10h ago

When I said I'd be watching Ramparts of Ice next, I didn't realize it was a Netflix exclusive. Given that I don't currently have Netflix but plan to subscribe for a month sometime this Winter, I'm going to hold off on watching it until then along with JoJo, Cyberpunk and the new One Piece/One Piece Live Action Season 2. By then Ramparts of Ice Season 2 will have finished up as well so I can watch it all at once.

So for now, I've decided to pivot to Akane-banashi which is also a Netflix show but is available on YouTube as well. I watched the first 2 episodes of it yesterday, and it's been good so far.

6

u/thisisdropd https://myanimelist.net/profile/AsterZoro 10h ago

Speaking of Akane-banashi and The Ramparts of Ice, it's hard to believe their protagonists are voiced by the same person as their temperaments are like fire and ice.

Near the end of Akane-banashi's season, you'll witness one of the finest voice acting performances of the year – it's absolutely unreal.

3

u/KernelWizard https://myanimelist.net/profile/DangoDaikazoku 8h ago edited 7h ago

Holy shitttttt I just watched the first episode of Kotoura and it's amazing! It started out so dark..... it's going to get generic after this isn't it lmao. Edit: Just started episode 2 and it's starting to feel generic-ish already lol, seriously though the tone shift sure was immense.

3

u/tripleaamin https://myanimelist.net/profile/tripleaamin 9h ago edited 8h ago

Finally watching the newest episode and the episode discussion thread is very meta for what the episode is portraying.

[Chiramune Episode 15]Those who are naturally talented have their own problems too. The episode is more or less illustrates why since the start of the show Saku constantly tried to push people away. It's easy to look at someone more naturally talented and successful to think their problems matter less. In the real world this constantly happens! Saku's two biggest traits are him being selfless and him being naturally talented.

The show has never made Saku to be instantly likable. If you are still watching and hoping that changes that's just a fool errand. But the show more so now is trying to make you understand him better.

As a light novel reader, there are still excessively many monolouge that still don't work well in the anime medium. Still has the issue of being an adaptation that is too faithful.

1

u/mekerpan 1h ago

This is working fine for me as an anime-only. And I've been liking it more and more as the show has moved forward. Not my favorite show of this sort -- but I now prefer it to both Blue Box and Ramparts of Ice (not close to Polar Opposites, however). Maybe it is just because the characters feel more like people I knew back in high school (in the early 70s).

3

u/Wanderingjoke https://myanimelist.net/profile/WanderingJoke 15h ago

Finished Dying Day Yuri, and even after sleeping on it, I don't really know how I feel about it. The first half was a bit dull, and seemed to try too hard to be more than it was. I also generally dislike characters like Mimi (see my previous Teoritta comments about Sentenced to be a Hero). But [once] Seiran died the show really came together to [show] grief and the struggle of moving on.

I guess I'll settle on a high 7 thanks to the last few episodes.

0

u/isthatsoudane https://myanimelist.net/profile/ojoulover 15h ago

damn a high 7

ended up a 5 for me. i should have dropped it. i kind of get what it was going for but i feel it failed to sell most of it. it did have some good moments but didnt save it for me

1

u/Capable-Towel-6302 15h ago

I feel that the story would impress me a lot more if we got to the actual meat of Mimi and Sheena storyline which I suppose will happen somewhere down the road. But with what we got I don't really want to watch a potential season 2...

1

u/PGleo86 https://myanimelist.net/profile/PGleo86 14m ago

Started Nia Liston today while waiting for my laundry. I was kinda expecting something more akin to May I Ask For One Final Thing or last season's Livid Lady, not turbo chaos gremlin. Easy instant aots candidate for me (at least among non-sequels); it's like they made it for me specifically.

1

u/mr_beanoz https://myanimelist.net/profile/splitshocker 15h ago

Caught up with Dark Machine. Hearing Miyukichi is always a treat.

1

u/[deleted] 15h ago

[deleted]

1

u/mekerpan 13h ago

A Draw It Then Die reference? (something like " have only happy dreams while in pursuit of drawing").

1

u/chilidirigible 13h ago

I messed up and thought I was in another tab.

2

u/mekerpan 13h ago

It was a nice thought..

1

u/chilidirigible 10h ago

Anyway, I was randomly quoting a lyric from "God Knows".

1

u/mekerpan 10h ago

Interesting. It sounds very apt to either DITD or to Look Back, however

1

u/Cen-ZAc 8h ago

I watched and read I Want to Love You Until Your Dying Day, and now I'm extremely sad that I've finished it. I keep wondering how long it'll take for a new chapter to come out or if there'll be any news about the anime. This has become one of my favorite anime and manga series. The world-building,

1

u/marshmallow_sunshine 7h ago

I really enjoy it too but the manga updates can be veerryyyy slow. Hopefully getting an anime adaptation lit a fire under their butt and gave them some motivation to update more regularly.

1

u/Cen-ZAc 4h ago

Yes! Do you have any idea when they’ll announce more chapters?

1

u/marshmallow_sunshine 2h ago

Unfortunately I have no idea :(

1

u/Cen-ZAc 2h ago

Actually, I'm not a Yuri fan, but this one it's important for me, this manga and anime become one of my favorites things

1

u/Visible_Tension_3171 16h ago

For me Edgerunner 2 was AOTY material until ep 8 and then the last 2 eps happened. It fel quite underwhelming and rushed. Was not able to maintain the PEAK ep 8 momentum. Maybe a few more episodes might have helped.

Stll enjoyed the overall show.

8/10

Anyone else felt the same way or was it just me?

3

u/IXajll https://myanimelist.net/profile/ixajii 14h ago

Probably because I binged it in one sitting (so the lines of what happened in which eps are blurry) but I don't even remember anything drastic changing from eps 1-8 to 9-10 that would alter your opinion so much. I thought it was fantastic from start to finish. Seen some people complaining about not enough episodes to flesh everything out but I disagree. The 10 eps were a perfectly fine amount and it didn't really need any more than that, though I wouldn't have complained about a 12 episode season either. Like, S1 had only 10 eps as well and nobody cared, yet the pacing and all is similarly fast.

The only very minor nitpick I actually have is that [Edgerunners 2]the massive Talia Transformer decepticon behemoth thingy at the end was a bit too goofy for the setting.

1

u/Ok-Cod5254 12h ago

I thought the pacing was fine enough for what they were going for.

For S1, I also thought it could have used an episode or 2 more, but they just have a type of story they try to tell in 10 episodes, so just adjusted expectations for the writing style. lol

I binged watched it to feel satisfied enough overall of what I got out of the main characters.

Daily Anime Questions, Recommendations, and Discussion - October 21, 2026

Recommendations

Resources

Other Threads

Question of the Day

Daily Anime Questions, Recommendations, and Discussion - October 21, 2026

Recommendations

Resources

Other Threads

Question of the Day

You are about to leave Redlib