Well, Spring has officially come to a close. So let’s put a bow on this one by saying farewell to some of the shows that it graced us with, and “See ya later” to others.

Kimetsu no Yaiba (Episode 12 – 13)

Yeeeah, still not a fan of Dorito Boy. I get why people like him. And let me make this abundantly clear. I have absolutely no issue with cowardly characters. I just don’t like how it’s portrayed in his case. I don’t like the constant screeching and such. It’s violently annoying. So while his actual character might be fine, that aspect just limits my enjoyment of the character, overall. That being said, the action sequence between Tanjiro and the demon in charge of this house was fantastic. I love the camera work and the water effects still look great. These two episodes did suffer from a criminal lack of Nezuko, but I get why she wasn’t there. Super Effective across the board.

(Full Review: Episode 12)
Episode 13 Not Fully Reviewed

Bokutachi wa Benkyou ga Dekinai (Episode 12 – 13)

Uruka is still best girl. But now we finally get some genuine quality time with Fumino and I really love her more levelheaded nature. It’s just not all that common in a series like this with a character like her. And I think she’s definitely one of the better developed of the girls in the running. Overall, two fantastic episodes showing a lot of fantastic moments with two of the haremettes. Super Effective

(Full Review: Episode 12)
Episode 13 Not Fully Reviewed

Unfeatured Shows

Black Clover (Episode 88 – 89)

One episode delivers us some action as the Royal Knights take the fight to the Eye of the Midnight Sun’s hideout. And I fully expect things are about to get dire. But the episode was fine, if a bit unmemorable. The next episode seemed to be all-in on sending some character development in Gordon and Grey’s direction. It… kinda worked? A little? But it wasn’t especially interesting, at first glance. Maybe once I take a broader look at the series. For now, both episodes are essentially just Junk Food.

Fruits Basket (2019) (Episode 12 – 13)

The first day of school was a fun episode! Until it wasn’t. And, honestly, I can probably say that about the entire series, at this point. Including the following episode’s introduction to Yuki’s brother. To be honest the magic of it is kinda wearing off. I’m not going to pretend I don’t see some very real issues with some of its ideas (though my speaking from an American perspective may be coloring things a tad). I can’t help but wince at some of the genuinely self-destructive behaviors being paraded as Tohru’s kindness and how much she’s just unintentionally shielded from that reality (but again, Western perspective). Either way, the episodes are indeed highly effective in what they’re doing. They don’t exactly represent the problems I was just talking about at all, actually. It was just something that occurred to me in stream of consciousness. I do still think the series runs a very real risk of becoming more emotionally exhausting than uplifting. But on an episode-by-episode basis, these two were yet more wonder Super Effective ones.

One-Punch Man II (Episode  10 – 12)

All right, action aside (ironically), this season’s actually been pretty good. Great insight into Saitama’s character then leads us back to Garou, a much more traditional character, in one sense, undergoing a very interesting journey of his own. And I appreciate that spotlight shift as he’s basically the villain Saitama. He’s in the process of pursuing the negative version of what Saitama originally sought, just for ideological reasons, more than anything. And that ideology is what makes him so interesting. The idea that a guy sympathized with the monsters because they had families, motivations, and lives of their own is a genuinely cool thing to think about. Had the action been more visually striking, these last three episodes could have been amazing. Instead, one or two of the action scenes are great while the others are kinda stiff, bringing it “down” to Super Effective.

Kenja no Mago (Episode 11 – 12)

…I’m not sure what more I can say about this. It’s shameless Isekai trash that knows what it is, runs with it, and has a lot of fun in that regard. If any episode proves that, it’s the last one, here. Though it does actually have some interesting ideas to present. And I appreciate that. I’m reading the manga, now, out of morbid curiosity, since I don’t expect this will get another season. I’m not yet up to where the anime leaves off, but we’ll see. Who knows. Maybe we’ll talk about it, one day.

Carole & Tuesday (Episode 11 – 12)

All right, that’s it. This is my favorite anime of the season. Period. Episode 11 was great dramatic setup and all. But that payoff in episode 12 was incredible. And the song. Oh my god the song. They finished it! We finally got to hear it! That performance was amazing. I can’t wait to see where things go from here. And I’m glad I was (half) wrong about the tournament, with them losing. They still gained something else, and that’s what matters most. It was a step forward and I can’t wait to see where the next one leads them. In the meantime, these last two episodes were nothing short of World’s Finest material. Easy.

Older Shows

Kotoura-san (Episode 12)

This show is just so emotionally conflicted. But could it really end any other way? The mood whiplash throughout the series has indeed been jarring. But it’s managed some high highs and low lows. I enjoyed it, for what it was worth. Though I doubt I’d go out of my way to watch this again. It was a cute ride… until it wasn’t. And the resolution with Kotoura’s mom was actually genuinely nice. I liked it. Not an immediate fix, but progress made in the end. Reasonable Junk Food, for certain.

Achievements

Overall Episode Medalists

There’s absolutely no contest, this time. Carole & Tuesday crushed its twelfth episode and is easily the top dog of last week, taking home the Gold. The Silver, meanwhile, goes home with Kimetsu no Yaiba. It was just great, across the board. The action was fantastic and Dorito Boy’s stand against Boar Head (I do know his name, but the anime hasn’t said it yet, so I’ll start calling him by it when it does) was a nice moment in a vacuum, even if I’m still not sold on the character, himself. The Bronze is going home with Bokuben as I find it nice that we got to see a bit of Nariyuki spending time with all of his little harem. Especially giving him some quality time with Fumino, who’s almost felt neglected for a large portion of the series (even if that is literally by design). Either way, a fun episode and a great way to see off the season. Looking forward to Season 2!

MVP: Garou

This is a bit different as I find it to be kind of obligatory. I feel bad that I’ve not talked about this guy more throughout the season. But he’s a genuinely interesting and compelling character and I love how the story jumps to his PoV nearly every time he’s on-screen. His character psychology/ideology is something I actually really like about him. Showing the dark side of compassion and kindness. And I love how he’s essentially treated as a protagonist, going through his journey. Villain protagonists are rare, as it is. And Garou steals just about every scene he’s in. So all the better, really.

Conclusion

And that’s it! That’s a wrap on the Spring 2019 Anime Season! It’s been fun! What were your favorite shows? Let me know, down below! Thanks for reading, as always, folks. Keep up the Awesome!

Take Care,
Voyager