Weekly thoughts as usual:

Past Seasons

I watched Expelled From Paradise last week. The writing was deeper / more mature than I expected, given that the MC wears a skimpy outfit. I also liked how the deuteragonist is clever.

Otherwise, the setting is kinda Gundam-like, but not much politics

Expelled From Paradise spoiler

just yet.

I think they are setting it up and we may see more politics in the sequel.

I enjoyed it a lot - the characters, the dialogue, the action sequences. The only aspect that didn’t stand out is its soundtracks. They are definitely not as memorable as Promare’s.

That’s enough to earn it a 9 / 10 from me. I’m looking forward to its sequel Liberated from Paradise

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This Season

Dropped

I gave Sakamoto Days one more episode, but just being decent is not cutting it. 8-episodes is a serious sunk-cost but it’s time to cut my loss.

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Tried one episode

I skimmed through the first episode of Orb but it looks like it would take some time to build up its hook. It certainly didn’t hook me in by the end of the first episode. It kinda reminds me of Vinland Saga, so it’s back in my plan-to-watch list.

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I gave Honey Lemon Soda a shot as well. It reminded me of why I always watch anime that pairs romance with comedy (i.e. romcoms) instead of a purely romance anime.

When characters in romcoms say or do stupid shit, I can simply laugh it off as part of the comedy. When the anime tries to take it seriously though, it just makes the characters look dumb and the show unbearable to watch.

Unfortunately, this is the case with Honey Lemon Soda. It’s no good, so I’m dropping this one for good.

If you want a romance anime about a girl who has to deal with the challenges of adapting to a different environment, a way better alternative is Skip and Loafer.

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Picked up

I’ve seen so much praise for Medalist that I decided to give it one episode. That one episode quickly turned into seven, and now I’m all caught up.

This anime is truly the hidden gem of the season.

The premise is that the coach-student pair is your typical sports David who has to go up against their Goliaths. Yeah, not a very unique premise, which is why it did not get my attention.

It’s a very simply premise, but the execution is so well done. The writing is incredible, resulting in an amazing story with relatable characters and well-grounded dialogue. The animation is top-tier, and so is its use of soundtracks.

Inori’s situation with her mother somewhat reminds me of

manga meta spoiler

Shizuka from 100 girlfriends. It’s like Medalist’s author took Shizuka and went all in on her character development and emotional scenes.

My only gripe is that Inori, who’s like, 11?, behaves way too mature for her age. IMO it’s better than grown-up characters who behave childishly.

Like what another Lemmy user pointed out, I find it quite ironic that this anime is the underdog of the season just like how its MCs are underdogs in the skating scene. I hope that the anime would make a comeback and explode in popularity towards the end of the season in true underdog fashion.

We are more than halfway through this anime season but if you are looking for a new show to pick up, this would be my recommendation.

This is looking to be at least a 9 / 10 - with high potential for 10 / 10 - from me.