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BanG Dream is a long-running Bandori series. Where the beef of its stories is through their mobile game. Though there have been countless anime series with BanG Dream as well. BanG Dream! Yume∞Mita serves as the series 3rd entry point in terms of purely the anime. In that it does it well, as fans don't have to worry about watching the early series to watch this one.

This series follows the girls of Mugendai Mewtype, which is a new band for anime-only watchers. The story does an interesting showcase of how powerful social media can be on the audience. Also, rather how it can be manipulated. ... Arale Nakamachi in particular suffers through trauma because of misinformation, and the story starts with following her. Though the 3-episode debut does a solid job of giving focus to each of the girls to provide them with characterization. The contrast for each girl makes their dynamics and personalities a lot of fun.

This is Nichicaline's first project, and despite it being created to do 2D anime BanG Dream! Yume∞Mita follows SANZIGEN as a 3D project. Overall, the biggest improvement here is how expressive the animation is. Which is a notable boost from the recent entries. Outside a certain character, this story feels the closest to BanG Dream S3.

As the show has wrapped up it feels closer to S3 than the past two entries in MyGO and Ave Mujica. As it is lighter on story then those two, but there is a clear path from our main girls. Viola herself is interesting because of how different she is from Arale. There is a clear theme being used here of being genuine vs. being a fake. Both are different approaches. As being too genuine can leave you potentially being hurt like Arale was at the start. Still being with the right support and your talents can blossom. While if you always act fake and just take advantage of others for your own game you can end up alone like Viola. The show highlights the mistakes that Viola makes and are constantly repeated.

Now even with a big franchise like BanG Dream this show is self-containable. This can be your first entry in this long anime franchise. If you enjoyed S3 or MyGO this might be worth a shot. Due note that compared to MyGO the story is lighter. If you weren't a fan of Ave Mujica well the drama here is much lighter even if there are moments where the drama is elevated. So it might be worth a shot.

This anime has Melody Wave as a protagonist, and as you can guess, she is a maid. So for many people coming in, they would expect the series to focus on that. Well, that is really not the case as much as the series is about. It turns out this world is an isekai where not just Melody but two other characters are reincarnated.

To be put it quite simpley this is a shameless anime made to promote the source material. Around episode 3 is the actual hook that I find quite good which I stated earlier. The issue is after this episode the pacing of ... the show takes a nosedive. Even worse is that the ending of this season feels unsatisfying.

The twist of this being an isekai is good and has lots of potential. The issue is that it has the OP protagonist aspect of isekais and it does not work well here. Melody wants to be a maid and focusing on that and her being OP is a terrible fit. Of course there will be a time for her to figure out she is the saint, but again not her having a hint of this is poor. It doesn't help that the show prolongs many of the cast figuring out Melody's identity where you have to hold disbelief.

Luciana is the highlight. And her journey and interaction with the cast is a lot of fun. The show does suffer when she is not present.

When you add the mediocre production values this show doesn't offer anything of note. It is not a bad show, but it is so average in many ways. Unless this gets an S2, my suggestion would be to skip it.

Koukaku Kidoutai/The Ghost in the Shell is a long-storied franchise. With this new entry serving as its 4th continuity. For this review I will be more focused on that new installment. GitS has been a franchise with many adaptations. The '95 was the first adaptation which used a lot of the manga that this new anime adapted, but the tone and characters personality was very different. Meanwhile SAC and Arise despite technically adapting the manga were anime original stories.

With the Science Saru version you are getting the most faithful adaptation for this series. As the characters and their personalities have a more expressive and ... silly tone. But it knows when to be serious and when it is fine to be silly. If you are expecting tone from the other entries of GitS you might find it jarring, but it should be easy to get used. Writing, world building and characterization are still classic GitS, so if you are a fan of the series you will get this here.

Science Saru really animating this adaptation so well. Everything about this anime is a standout on their end. Just like with Tenmaku no Jaadugar, Science Saru aims to be super faithful with the art style of the original manga. The fact it maintains that and gives it the production values it has is outstanding. As they're showing up as one of the best studios right now.

I will admit this might not be the optimal first experience with the franchise as I would argue SAC, despite being an anime original story is better at easing you. Like the '95 movie this anime might seem overwhelming at first for new fans. But if you come back to watch it again you will get to notice and understand things you didn't on your first time through.

One negative I will say is how the story can feel disjointed. Especially when compared to the movie or SAC. Even if SAC had episodic episodes, those episodes either resolved themselves in their episodes or they carried over into future episodes. While the '95 move very much adapted a specific part of the manga.

No doubt this adaptation does adapt the interesting parts of GitS very well. Individual episodes are outstanding, like they are almost a short film with how great the production. It's when you take all the episodes together is where it becomes weird. It makes the series even more confusing than the other anime continuities of GitS. Granted considering this was promoted as a manga-faithful adaptation most are fine with that. It's for those that are experiencing the series for the first time where this can throw them off.

At the end of the day I think the majority of people will really enjoy this. As the top-tier production values and with such an interesting immersive setting is great. There are just some issues with the storytelling when you sum all the episodes is where things get weird and confusing. Even some episodes by themselves are more confusing than the other anime continuities. Which is why I would suggest SAC as the ideal place to start with GitS.

This series follows Chloe Sellers under the first name Victoria as she ends up being betrayed by the organization she worked for her whole life. She eventually finds an abandoned girl, Nonna, and for Victoria, she aims to take care of Nonna. Definitely a strength of this anime is their dynamic, the mother-daughter relationship these two share. Though how Victoria guides Nonna is really sweet.

Another notable character in this series is Jeffrey. He starts out as someone who can verify that it is fine for Victoria to take in Nonna. Still, over time we have seen him become closer to these two. As this show ... has a slow-burn slice of life, it makes you wonder how the paths of these 3 will continue to push forward. Much like Victoria, Jeffrey has his own stuff from the past to deal with. Clearly the show sets itself on how these 3 will move forward with their lives.

This story moves at a slow pace for the most part. The key is seeing how Victoria lives her life, not that she is away from the organization she used to belong to. This anime is very much catered to those that enjoy slower slice-of-life stories. One of the big selling points for this anime is the characterization of both Victoria and Jeff. They really feel like adults figuring out how they can move forward with their lives.

Studio Deen is animating this, and there are mixed things about it. The early episodes had very nice direction and some solid animation. You can see that starting from episode 4 onwards you can tell they were running out of budget. Still a nice OST really helped a good amount of things. You can tell they were aware of their limitations by making sure this is only 9 episodes.

If you are a fan of both slice of Life and romance stories, you will very likely like this show. It is more a breath of fresh air than anything else considering the age of the cast and how they act. With that being said if you really don't care for those types of stories your mileage will vary and this might not be something you might like.

What does soccer mean to you? This is a major theme that gets explored in Ao Ashi and which is the main theme of the series. While the story is about Ao Ashi as he aims to go pro. There are clear challenges for him. He starts as a hotheaded forward; he cares about nothing but scoring.

Ao Ashi is the first character we obviously see this. As for him scoring was everything. Eventually his coach Tatsuya Fukuda wants to push him to be a defender. As he gets moved to the fullback position. In which Ashito's world goes upside down. For so many people we ... aim to be the star who scores all the goals. It can be easy to see why Ashito would feel like this.

Over time Ashito comes to be more motivated to play defense. Towards the 2nd half of the series he comes to love defense. With his innate eagle eye with his improving skills on offense and defense it is really nice ot see Ashito's transformation. Ashito coming to love his role as a fullback shows that many times we can have tunnel vision. Where it isn't just playing the sport, but also in a specific way. Also how important it can be to look at different avenues.

Along with the theme of what does soccer mean to you. Is it something you need in your lives or is it just a sport? Ashito, Akutsu and Demian each have this question asked about them. For both Akutsu and Demian soccer was an escape for them from the hell of their lives growing up. It's easy to understand why soccer and being great at it were necessities. They didn't want to go back to that hell. But along the way there are others that make an impact on them that make them realize there is more to it than just a job. Akutsu gets a full character arc showing this and Demian leaves the manga with a smile after Barcelona loses to Esperion.

Hana and Fukuda also highlight this theme. For Fukuda he just had fun with soccer in the pureness form, which in part has to do with his talent. For Hana she just loved watching her brother play as his biggest fan. Still, Fukuda's injury is a depressing moment for both of them. For Fukuda even when he was playing was great at teaching, which leads him to find passion in youth development. While Hana, after feeling so useless after her brother's injury aims to be a doctor. Through soccer she found her calling. As Ashito and her relationship from start to finish is very well done. There is more about this manga I could elaborate on, but that is the core theme of Aoi Ashi.

If you are looking for a sports manga that gets into tactics within the game this manga is great for it. It focuses on aspects from junior youth, youth, and pro. The tactics are very well done and it is shown in a very digestible manner. Also as various characters move to different levels it can really showcase why the challenge is as difficult as it is for Ashito and his teammates. It really puts you in the characters position is the happy moments, but even in the tense moments.

Art is pretty solid, but the best thing about it is how dynamic it can be during the match. You can truly visualize how the ball gets moved around from panel to panel. The matches that really get focus almost feel like you are watching a match and can be quite intense.

There is not too many manga that I would call a masterpiece, but Aoi Ashi is one of those manga. It does everything at a top level and if you enjoy reading manga this one is a must read from start to finish.

Every season we have anime originals, which can be a mixed bag. However sometimes you get one that can be special which is the case for "Sayonara Lara". This anime draws inspiration from "Little Mermaid" by Hans Christian. In fact the first episode essentially is that until the final few minutes where we fast forward to the modern day.

Because of Lara's failure now her merfolk are dying and extinct. Now to save her people she has to find her prince who is bound to be human. Though her first encounter is with a girl with Mari.

One of the strengths of this show is that it ... requires Lara to actually understand humans. As early on she truly is being put in their world. It makes the connection between Lara and Mari very interesting going forward.

Where the show really comes into her own is Lisa. Like Lara she wants to revive the merfolk, but her experience is a contrast to Lara. As Lara has seen the kindness of humans. Lara has seen the cruelty. Given that they both have the same goal it makes it interesting how both of them will venture forward. Also how does Grace come into play? She clearly has been manipulating things. What are her intentions? There are so many aspects of this show that are fascinating.

Kinema Citrus is on the production and they have done an absolute standout job here. Beautiful animation and art direction. Topped with wonderful voiced direction and OST. Sayonara Lara is an anime that you don't want to miss and should absolutely give it a shot.

"Love Unseen Beneath the Clear Night Sky" at its core is a boy meets girl light novel. Though in this one the protagonist Kakeru Sorano meets a blind woman named Koharu Fuyutsuki. Kakeru is a gloomy guy, while Koharu is an upbeat blind woman. This novel loves its angaloies with fireworks. In here the encounter their encounter in finding each other brings a notable spark in each of their lives. The novel does a fantastic job of showing how much meaning it is for you when you find someone who truly loves you.

There are two volumes here. "Love Unseen Beneath the Clear Night Sky" and ... "Love Unseen Beneath the Radiant Night Sky". The first covers the main story while the 2nd one serves more as an epilogue volume. Also to note the first volume comes from the perspective of Kakeru while the 2nd volume comes from the perspective of Koharu.

To describe the first volume is that it is very emotional and heavy. That is one thing you should be prepared for if you want to read this series. The first novel starts light even with the topic of Koharu's blindness, but it gets more intense and heavy as the novel progresses further. The biggest theme it goes for is how do we continue forward when dealing with the hardships life has to offer. It shows how important love is.

The 2nd volume as mentioned is more like an epilogue/side story. Though getting the perspective of Koharu here is a great change of pace. As we get to learn her own insecurities and what she goes through. There is more romance in the 2nd volume in case you were wondering. It still does dive into sensitive topics but not to as big a degree as the first volume.

Overall if you come looking for an emotionally heavy romance drama this is a great light novel to pick up. I hope this novel can resonate with you as much as it resonated with me.

Star Wars is one of the biggest IPs in media which needs no introduction. Star Wars Visions was created to give Japanese studios the opportunity to explore new ideas in the Star Wars Universe. As Visions presents itself as an anthology collection. "The Ninth Jedi" is a follow-up of two episodes in the Visions Anthology. Note before you watch this series you need to watch Volume 1 Episode 5 and Volume 3 Episode 3.

It follows a young Jedi named Kara who is seeking her father. While she trains under Jedi Master Juro. This is set in a timeline far in the future where the Jedi ... Order is collapsed and lightsabers itself are scarce.

What is very interesting about this series is that the saber's color represents what is in the holder's heart. Obviously you have the typical blue and green representing the light side and red representing the dark side. But we have silver which is more unique. The idea of a grey Jedi who is neither light nor dark has been something in the old canon of Star Wars.

One of the strengths of this series is how it explores that. What does it mean to be a Jedi or Sith? What does the color of your light saber mean? It takes many things we see as common in Star Wars canon and questions them. The answers it provides aren't black or white which is very nice.

As typical of Star Wars we have the hero's journey as we follow Kara. She starts fully believing in the path of the Jedi, but things happen that may or may not question her beliefs. The unique part of the show of the saber changing colors plays an important part in Kara's journey in the series.

Production wise Production IG has animated this and they did an outstanding job here. Outstanding animation and art direction. One thing to mention right now is that Disney+ only has English CC and no actual English subs of the Japanese dialogue. So if you are a subs-only purist this might bother you. But having watched the English dub, I thought it was very good and the English voiceover did their thing for the cast.

If you are a Star Wars fan don't let the fact that it is noncanon keep you from watching this. It's a very interesting and very good series.

Though I Am an Inept Villainess will initially give fans similarities to "The Apothecary Diaries" because of the Chinese Court Drama. But that's where the similarities end. Our two protagonists in this series are Reirin Kou and Keigetsu Shu. These two make up 2 of the imperial consorts. Reirin is the favored heroine while Keigetsu is the more Villainess character.

The series has Keigetsu attempting to kill the sickly Reirin and at the same time there is a body between the two. Which confirms this setting has fantasy elements. Now Reirin is at the bottom and hated and now Keigetsu is the favored one. Well good ... news story wise this was planned by Keigetsu.

This story makes great use of the body swap because for Reirin despite being in the body now is in a healthy body. Meanwhile on the opposite spectrum Keigetsu is in a sickly body. Seeing how these two continue forward in their new bodies is done very well. As it showcases each of their characters themselves then just their status.

Production wise Doga Kobo is on it. Overall the production is pretty good. Not anything that stands out, but it does a solid job. If you are looking for a story like the Apothecary Diaries this won't fill that void since that one had a clear mystery structure to it. But if you want a strong heroine lead series like Apothecary Diaries then this seems like a really solid one.

Odd Taxi is an interesting show. Although you could say it is quite odd per say. You have this anthropomorphic world where the protagonist is a walrus who runs a taxi. Odd Taxi is an example of what you do with a premise that matters, not what the actual premise. The story of Odd Taxi plays as a slow-burn mystery where it isn't until the final episode where everything is done and concluded. Which I would say it is masterly done.

One issue with many slow-burn mysteries is keeping your audience engaged. In between in this anime you have a lot of social commentary. With Odokawa ... you have the central piece of his cab being the place for so many notable events. So much of the storytelling in these episodes is social commentary. But what makes it stand out is how it does not feel preachy and very natural. A lot of what the cast goes through is relatable or something that you can understand. Their issues feel real.

To add on the characters in this series make mistakes. In so many ways this is how the characters feel real. So many of them make dumb choices, but these are dumb choices are very human. We see how these mistakes are various costs to the cast and at the end we see how each of them is pushing themselves forward. The saying life is not fair is because we have examples of those feeling the consequences are not the ones directly responsible. That realistic feeling really makes the world of Odd Taxi feel alive.

Production wise Odd Taxi won't wow you as the studio and director were new on its release. But with the quality of the anime that could be a minor nitpick. The storytelling is so strong that it keeps you immersed in every episode. What makes it even more impressive is that this is an anime original story. It able to tell a complete story with this level of quality is impressive to say the least.

Odd Taxi might not be a series that can capture you initially, but give it a shot, and you will get an anime well worth your time.