I’ve been watching anime since the 90s, but have a few very popular series that I missed out on for one reason or another. Finally planning on watching this major blind spot for me with this rewatch group: Dragon Ball! I think my grand total experience is half an episode I watched years ago, and I have no idea which series it was!

For some reason, the way Dragon Ball was advertised at the time and the Toriyama art never appealed to me. Interestingly, after watching a few episodes, I am totally sold on the Toriyama style. Seeing it in motion and context gives such a vibe that I’m struggling to describe. There’s something cozy, innocent-yet-dark, and beautiful about the way the show embraces its spirit of adventure, and super does not care if things don’t make sense or happen just because they’re cool or fun.

Again, I’m just starting this journey with almost no prior knowledge (only one or two major late story spoilers I unfortunately caught over the years…), so perhaps my feelings will change, but I’m loving the first three episodes.

A few more thoughts:

• I love how innocent Goku is. I have no idea why he is how he is. I’m sure there’ll be more backstory eventually.
• The frequent lewd thoughts, dialogue, and actions are a bit much, definitely verging on sexual assault at times. Master Roshi is hard to tolerate in particular. It’s saved by the framing of Goku’s absolute innocence and his completely different (or lack of) understanding of gender, nudity, boundaries, and autonomy. I’m sure this’ll be a recurring theme, but initial impressions feel like it was being edgy to be catchy and I’m not totally onboard how it’s being handled so far.
• This world is really weird. Dinosaurs, guns, motorcycles, anything-in-a-capsule, magic clouds, etc. Wow.
• I’m really surprised how many Dragon Balls they have already! I’m sure something will happy to scatter them or lose them or something, but it makes it pretty engaging to feel like they’ve already made so much progress so quickly.
• I was expecting more padding of episodes. I worry this’ll be a problem later on when it got more popular. I was kinda expecting My Hero Academia level pacing, which I found rough a lot of the time.

I super appreciate how everybody is being very careful about spoilers in this thread. I know very little and would prefer to keep as limited as possible to enjoy it fresh. Thanks y’all!

It’s been a wild few months, y’all. Fell behind and never posted a Fall 2024 wrap up, so I’m just doing it all now. Here’s a combined Winter 2025 and Fall 2024 set: 

Winter 2025 wrap up

Watched current releases: 

• Zenshu - Surprise hit of the season for me. Incredibly creative animation throughout, good story, great characters. I think the finale could have been slightly workshopped, as it didn’t quite land for me as hard as I thought it would, but overall excellent. Easily on my short list for best of 2025. Teetering between 9 or 10/10 for me.
• Solo Leveling S2 - I had slightly lowered expectations for this for some reason. Maybe I was just expecting a second season slump or maybe it would draw out major plot points to milk more content. Nope: this was ridiculously fast paced and plowed through major reveals and moments so fast that it was hard to keep up. There were a lot of build up moments in between, while starting to introduce a lot of new characters and beginnings of a bigger plot that felt a bit rushed and less exciting. But overall I loved it. 9/10.  

Watched past seasons: 

• Kaiju No 8 - Holy crap that was sooo much better than I expected! I’m not sure why I thought this wouldn’t work for me, but it kept me super engaged throughout and action was nuts. One of my favorites of 2024. Definitely will check out future seasons. 9/10. 

Dropped (from any season): 

• Shangri-La Frontier - Tried first episode and it really didn’t click with me. Strongly disliked MC. Likely done. 
• Guild Receptionist … - Watched 1/2 of season and dropped. Characters feel too archetypal and rigid, with no growth or feeling. Not interested in bigger plot and initial premise ran thin very fast. 
• Sakamoto Days - Watched 3 episodes I think. It’s just fine. I want to click more with the characters, but something isn’t flowing well. I dunno. 
• You And Idol Precure - Watched 1 episode from a recommended list. Super not vibing with me. 
• Momentary Lily - Watched 1 episode from a recommended list. Really didn’t like the characters or the animation style. 

Eventually watch from this season: 

• Apothecary Diaries S2 - Watched a couple episodes before I realized this wouldn’t be complete this season. It’s excellent, but I’ll wait until it’s all out to watch at a quicker pace. 
• 100 Girlfriends S2 - I like the meta and over-the-top absurdity, but really struggle with some of the problematic content. Maybe 1/2 through season? I’ll probably finish S2, but I’m guessing I won’t follow to S3. 
• Fruitmaster … - My guilty watch of the season. I know it’s not great, but I’ll defend it that it’s not trash! About 2/3 done. 
• Castlevania Nocturne S2 - Most of the way through and enjoying this a lot. Nocturne S1 was just okay for me and this is a big step up. I loved the OG S1-2 and these aren’t quite at that level. 
• Medalist - Not typically my thing but it’s so highly rated that I should give it a try. Unfortunately, it’s trapped in Hulu jail. I’ll subscribe sometime this year for a month or two to catch up on a bunch I’ve missed out on the last couple years. Just really annoying to subscribe to both D+ and Hulu. 
• My Happy Marriage S2 - Tried an episode of S2 and I’m close to dropping it. I find the politics difficult to follow and the main premise frustratingly overdone. I think the initial premise was way more fun and different and could have been a compelling short anime. I’ll probably give it another couple episodes. 
• Beastars S3 - Waiting until the full season is out later this year. 

Fall 2024 wrap up:

Watched current releases: 

• Dan Da Dan - Easily my favorite of the season and on my short list of favorites for 2024. Wild story, awesome animation, great voice acting, just incredibly produced. I do have some significant complaints about plot points that almost made me nope out. Despite that, this is easily a top tier for the year. 9/10. 
• Ranma 1/2 - I grew up watching OG, and wasn’t convinced this needed to exist. I was pretty interested after 1/3 of the season, but fell off again towards the end. I feel like the content is kinda dated and feels like an artifact of the time. I wasn’t ridiculously impressed by the animation quality, and they were going for a manga-style that didn’t vibe with me. It’s good, but I unfortunately didn’t love it as much as the OG, which I’m sure wouldn’t hold up today either. 7/10. 

Watched past seasons: 

• Wistoria Wand And Sword - Not top tier, but surprisingly solid. Animation is fun, characters decent, world is kinda interesting. It’s a good B tier imo. 7/10. 

Dropped (from any season): 

• 365 Days To Wedding - Tried a couple episodes. Didn’t click. I think I didn’t like either of the two main characters much and found it hard to relate. 

Eventually watch from this season: 

• Re:Zero S3 - Watched intro “movie” episode. It’s decent, but I’d forgotten so much context that it was hard to care too much. Decided to wait until the whole season is out before binging. 
• Orb … - Tried one episode. Not sold on it, it feels really dark and not so fun. I’ll probably give it a good try now that it’s all out. 
• Dragon Ball Daimo - I’d like to watch all the Dragon Ball shows eventually, but have never watched any. I think I’m going to participate in the OG rewatch that just started. 
• Is It Wrong … S5 - I sorta liked the first couple seasons. Might get to this eventually. 
• Blue Box - Not my typical thing but it’s reviewing well, so I’ll give it a shot some day. Probably try now that the full season is out. 
• Arcane S2 - Not anime. Only watched some of it. It’s excellent, but I need to be in the right mood to totally appreciate it.

Well, I’ve been meaning to finally watch Dragon Ball at some point. Three episodes per week is a pretty manageable pace, although I’m sure there will be weeks I fall behind due to travel or busy plans. That’ll end up being 51 weeks to complete the 153 episodes, just about a year. I’ve only watched maybe half an episode of any Dragon Ball series ever, so I’ll be real fresh.

What do you mean? My kids have been playing my library using the new Family Sharing rules for a couple months on my LCD deck by opting into the beta.

And yes, the new Family Sharing is amazing. It’s made me want to buy exclusively into Steam ecosystem.

I just signed up for their 2 year subscription deal, and always looked forward to getting my latest edition. Also listened to their podcast, which was great too. Super bummed about this.

Aww, I don’t think I’ve pointed it out, but I laugh each time. Thanks for putting in the effort.

Lighter season for me. Quite a lot I’d like to catch up on.

New:

• Frieren - my 2023 AOTY. This’ll be a must-watch.
• The Dangers in my Heart S2 - first season was so much better than I expected. Definitely check this out.
• Solo Leveling - know nothing about it, but there’s a lot of buzz, so I’ll try a couple episodes.

Catch-up:

• Apothecary Diaries - lots of buzz, but haven’t had time yet.
• Helck - almost finished. Enjoyed way more than I expected.
• The Eminence in Shadow S2 - stalled after a few episodes. Wasn’t in the right mood. Try again in winter.
• Pluto - only watched first episode. Good so far, but hasn’t captured me.
• 100 Girlfriends - almost finished. Didn’t like it as much as I expected, but I’m enjoying it more the wackier it gets.

Might finally find time for:

• Trigun (OG) - slowly tinkering through it.
• JJK - stalled somewhere in S1.
• Slime-san - somewhere in S2?
• Ancient Magus’ Bride

I had somewhat written SpyXFamily off after the second half of S1. I disliked several of the characters and it seemed to be going nowhere (especially a certain mini sports arc). But I’ve caught up with S2 now and it’s the most I’ve enjoyed the series since the first three episodes. Makes me way more optimistic for the future of the series.

Almost caught up with Helck and I didn’t think the extensive flashbacks were nearly as bad as I’d heard about. I thought it was pretty compelling and added a surprising depth to the world building. Still enjoying this one a lot.

I’m almost caught up with Girlfriend, Girlfriend and it’s not quite succeeding as much as the first season for me. The incredibly stupid moments of the beginning made up for the dumbness of the harem. I’m there for the dumb, and there’s only been a few moments I actually lol’d at. The sincere heartfelt moments don’t really work for me, since I think the concept of the harem is so ridiculous. Except maybe Shino. She’s so sincere and somewhat has a brain, so she feels like she might be an actual character.

I feel kinda similarly about 100 Girlfriends. I’m there for the ridiculousness, but they’ve been including several sincere moments that I struggle with. I’m pretty far behind here though. Maybe it gets better.

Ooooooh I didn’t know Frieren was continuing for next season! It’s really gonna get my aoty for 2 years in a row, isn’t it…

The others aren’t really jumping at me. Might be lighter for my tastes, so maybe I’ll catch up with all the stuff I missed from the current season.

Finally got some time to watch a bit:

• The Attack on Titan finale was great, imo. I think that pretty much secured it as my all time #1 for a completed series that’s more than 1 season. It’s not perfect, for sure, but it got so much right considering the weight of its story. Really liked it.
• Almost done with Castlevania Nocturne. I know many don’t really consider it anime, but it’s close enough I throw it in. I like it, but the stakes are harder to care about compared to the very engaging first season premise, and the characters aren’t quite as charming. Still a fun story and worth watching.
• Still keeping up with Frieren (phenomenal), and a bit behind in Helck, Eminence S2, Girlfriend Girlfriend, 100 Girlfriends, SpyXFamily. Enjoying them all.
• Tried first episode of Pluto and was imptessed. Throwing it on the to-watch mountain.
• Still need to get to Apothecary Diaries, Blue Eyed Samurai, and new Scott Pilgrim. This season has truly been ridiculous.

Oh and got a good lol from those examples of spicy takes. Almost spit out my coffee. Whew.

I feel the same! I’m wrapping up world 6 and wondering when there’s going to be any challenge or clever secrets! There’s only been a handful of stages with double exits, every wonder flower is damn near unmissable, and there’s been maybe a couple times that I grunted “oh that’s clever” when seeing a hidden something. I like the creativity of each wonder flower being different, but I was definitely expecting a lot more based on the extremely positive reviews! I haven’t finished the challenge world (I think I’ve discovered 4 so far?) and only one of them took me more then 2-3 tries. Almost every level I’ve 100% cleared on my first try. I’m not a platforming savant, I swear!

Finally got a little time to watch this week. Wrapped up my HBO Max journey by finishing the last couple movies I don’t have on disc. Turns out four of them I had picked up on previous Black Friday sales and forgot haha.

Belle: I enjoyed it and the animation was very good. But probably my least favorite Mamoru Hosoda film. Wolf Children and Mirai are easily my favorites, while this felt like mostly a retread of Summer Wars. Where it went different than Summer Wars, especially the more challenging content topics, I think it could’ve done better with a more complete message. This gets too spoilery to discuss further unfortunately. It’s worth watching, still.

From Up on Poppy Hill: I liked this much more than the last Goro Miyazaki film I watched (Earwig). Similar to Only Yesterday, it was a really nice look into a specific time period in Japan. This time the early 1960’s, with the massive developments going on in Tokyo and nearby cities. This felt like a typical Ghibli film, with very likable and strong female protagonist and a plot with a strong moral message about respecting the past/heritage. I enjoyed it more than Belle and was one of my favorites I’ve been blasting through. Still need to get to Tales of Earthsea sometime to complete my Goro journey.

Caught up on Frieren and absolutely loving it. If it keeps up, it’s going to take AOTY from Oshi no Ko for me.