Started off the week gently bouncing off of Hyouka. I liked it and will certainly watch it in the future, but it just didn’t quite hook me this time.

Then I switched to one I happened on a few weeks ago - As the Moon, So Beautiful (Tsukigakirei), and it was wonderful. It’s quite possibly the most satisfying romance anime I’ve ever seen. It’s a sweet, unpretentious third year middle school romance with two terrific characters, realistic awkwardness, just enough drama to spike the emotions but not enough to bog it down, and genuine, believable progress. I loved everything about it.

Next up was the latest episode of MF Ghost, and Shuichi Shigeno’s weirdly awkward and oh-so-Japanese conception of masculinity and approach to women and the concept of romance was on full display, just as it was too often in Initial D. I couldn’t help but laugh cynically when Shun punches Kanata, then stands over him and demands to know why Kanata didn’t tell him that Ren was the Angel he had a schoolboy crush on, and actually says, “Do I really seem that stubborn and unreasonable?” Seriously dude - you’re asking the guy you just punched.

Next up was the latest episode of Roll Over and Die, which I’m still enjoying. It was mostly amusing filler - a bit of CGDCT and a bit of yuri and a bit of background intrigue, and it ended on an interesting cliffhanger. I don’t expect any amazing surprises from this, but it’s solid entertainment.

Then came the latest episode of Frieren, which was fine, but had virtually nothing to do with the overarching plot.

Along about then, I wanted to watch a full series, and didn’t want to gamble, so I went with one of the many sure things on my TBW - The Apothecary Diaries. I guess I don’t need to say that it was excellent. I watched both cours of the first season - watched the first 12 episodes over a couple of days, then over another couple of days rewatched them, then watched the second 12 in a single sitting. It definitely deserves its accolades.

In the midst of all of that, there was the latest episode of Trigun Stargaze, which… sort of sucked really. Stampede IMO managed to work out to be good overall in spite of its flaws, but it’s looking like Stargaze isn’t going to be able to pull that off - too many flaws are piling up and there’s not enough good to make up for it. And I can’t believe that we’ve reverted all the way back to Knives in his gigantic hood again doing a painfully accurate recreation of a cliched villain from a cheesy gothic horror flick.

Then the latest (and apparently last) episode of Gnosia, which I dropped last season but recently caught back up with. And I shouldn’t have bothered.

The latest episode of Scum of the Brave was okay but not great. Yashiro and Jougamine still have the same chemistry they had in the beginning, but the thing that was good about it in the beginning was that it was promising, and five episodes later, the promise remains unfulfilled and they’re just tediously repeating themselves.

Then You and I Are Polar Opposites, which was predictably terrific.

And Journal With Witch, which continues to be exceptional