Last Update: 1:24 pm EDT Thursday 4/4/24
Welcome to my seasonal Guide! (For the debut schedule, see here.) I expect to cover every full-episode series that will be debuting this season and most of the sequels/returning series, including Laid-Back Camp 3, The irregular at magic high school 3, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime s3, Mushoku Tensei s2p2, Date a Live V, KonoSuba 3, and The Misfit of Demon King Academy II. (Demon Slayer: Hashira Training Arc debuts much too late to make this Guide, but I may include a write-up for the first episode based on the theatrical release on a slow day. Also, the new Spice & Wolf series is a reboot rather than a sequel, so it will be covered as normal.) I will not be covering thr sequels for The Duke of Death and His Maid, since I am not current on that franchise. Sound Euphonium 3 may or may not be covered, since I’m not sure if I’m current there.
Debuts are listed below in oldest to newest order and may be added multiple times per day on busier days.
Note: Where simuldubs are available, previews are based on the simuldub.
A Condition Called Love
Streams: Crunchyroll on Thursdays
Rating: 3 (of 5)
In this shojo/josei manga adaptation, Hotaru has live a whole (nearly) 16 years without romance. She has good friends and family, but doesn’t really understand romantic love. Her first real opportunity to explore it comes up when Hananoi, a popular guy, declares her his soul mate and asks her out. She’s uncertain, but he’s clearly serious about it and doing everything he can to appeal to her, so she eventually decides to give dating a try and see if she can learn about this intense emotion for herself.
In other words, this is about as standard a set-up for a budding romance as they come. That Hananoi’s behavior borders on obsessive is a little concerning, but I could easily see that being interpreted as desirable devotion and honest commitment, too. At the very least, Hotaru seems like a girl who has her head on straight, and she’s got plenty of cute appeal working for her, too. She’s a likable enough lead to carry the series. Technical merits aren’t bad (the screenshot is the worst the artistry ever gets), the artistry isn’t a slave to shojo style points, and the musical score hits the right notes for the tone, so this is a decently well-constructed first episode. I just don’t see anything here that’s going to win over those not normally into shojo romances, though.
An Archdemon’s Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride
Streams: Crunchyroll on Thursdays
Rating: 3 (of 5)
I waffled a lot on how to grade this one, as in some senses this light novel adaptation represents one of the more unsavory trends in fantasy anime in recent years – i.e., the Sexy Slave Girl trope. In this case, the socially awkward badass is Zagan, a powerful, friendless sorcerer who offers an outrageous sum for the elf Nephy after falling in love with her at first site during a slave auction. Naturally, he has no clue how to talk to her, and she seems convinced that he intends to use her as a sacrifice for his experiments. (He indicates that he sees little net value in using sacrifices like that, so we know he won’t even if she doesn’t.) That makes their initial interactions possibly even more uncomfortably awkward for Zagan than they are for her. There’s also a mystery about Nephy being a “cursed child,” too.
The Sexy Slave Girl trope usually goes hand-in-hand with the girl’s life becoming better under her new master, so he is effectively “saving” here, and this series – for better or worse – seems to be going down that route. That will definitely not set well with some audiences, though I do see something noble in the way it looks like Zagan’s first task is going to be convincing Nephy that life is worth living. The execution of the episode’s first post-OP scenes is also incredibly awkward. Despite all of this, I found a certain amount of charm developing as the episode progressed and some genuinely funny moments in the episode’s latter half, enough so that I may actually follow it even though I’m not expecting much from it. Though the premise has some elements of The Ancient Magus’ Bride, the tone is much closer to I’m Giving the Disgraced Noble Lady I Rescued a Crash Course in Naughtiness, and I did find that one to be a fun view.
Laid-Back Camp s3
Streams: Crunchyroll on Thursdays
Rating: 3.5 (of 5)
I was tempted to just say, “Yuru Camp is Yuru Camp” for this one, because that’s an apt description: if you’re already a franchise fan, the first episode of this season is exactly in line with the tone, spirit, and flow of the previous seasons, so there’s no reason why you wouldn’t enjoy this, too.
This episode is a direct follow-up to the send of the second season, so seeing the movie first is not at all necessary. (Familiarity with the characters is expected, though, so this is not a good jumping-on point for newcomers.) The episode is split between Rin and the rest of the girls. The former is reminiscing about her first “camping” outing with her grandfather while on another solo camp, while the latter are up to normal silly antics while crafting homemade alcohol stoves and planning a “day camp” in the yard at Ena’s house. As usual, the episode has its share of scenery p*rn and plenty of attention to detail, and young Rin is adorable. Nothing too exciting, but this relaxing weekly view is very much welcome back.
BARTENDER Glass of God
Streams: Crunchyroll on Wednesdays
Rating: 3 (of 5)
This series adapts a 2004 manga which was previously adapted into a 12-episode anime series back in 2006. While it changes up a few details compared to the 2006 version, it follows the same premise and progression: a bartender is being sought for a bar set to open in a new hotel, and employees of the hotel are feeling very put-upon with the vague requirement be able to pour a “Glass of God.” After several failures, they finally get the break they’re looking for in the small, private bar Eden Hall, where a man who had seemed inept in previous encounters with the employees proves to be impeccably skilled behind the counter.
This marks the second series this season (after Spice & Wolf) where the reboot seems unnecessary. Since the manga had only been out for about two years at the time of the first version, I can only conjecture that this version is going to adapt additional content as well as doing some minor technical updates. It is using real liquors and mixed drinks, and plays like a foodie series for drinkers, so I could see some appeal here for the drinking crowd. It also looks pretty good and is rich in detail. As a non-drinker, though, it’s just not something that I can get enthusiastic about.
The Banished Former Hero Lives as He Pleases
Streams: Crunchyroll on Mondays
Rating: 1.5 (of 5)
Extra-length or dual-episode (or longer!) releases have become more common over the last year or so, but not every series which has had them has actually needed them. This light novel adaptation definitely didn’t. Sure, the second episode introduces what will apparently be two major recurring characters and elucidates more on a plot angle suggested by the first episode, but absolutely nothing in episode 2 is going to change anyone’s initial impression about the series: that this is a near-bottom-of-the-barrel OP protagonist reincarnation tale.
In this case, Allen is a Duke’s son regarded as such a failure that he’s disowned in favor of his younger brother, but he’s fine with that because he’s been hiding the fact that he’s a reincarnated hero, who retains all his previous powers and fighting skill, and wants to live the ordinary life he couldn’t in his previous one. (There’s no indication that he was a hero from this world or a different one, so this may or may not qualify as isekai.) He meets up and starts traveling with a princess who used to be his betrothed and is secretly a saint, one who is being targeted for elimination by Allen’s father. He also meets a young woman who’s the current hero and a female elf blacksmith and beats a dragon. All of this is nice, inoffensive, and unremarkable to a fault, and some of the season’s weakest technical and artistic merits don’t help. Honestly, I can’t think of a single reason to recommend this series to anyone.
I Was Reincarnated as The Seventh Prince
Streams: Crunchyroll on Mondays
Rating: 1.5 (of 5)
Lloyd, seventh (and by far youngest) prince of Saloum Kingdom, is secretly a reincarnation of a commoner magic student who adored magic but was unable to stand up against the bloodlines of a noble with far stronger magic, and so died. In his new life, though, he has the mana he needs to be able to delight in analyzing and developing magic, including forcing a demon sealed in a forbidden library in the castle to become his familiar.
The two minor factors this series has in its favor (and the reasons I’m not giving it a minimum ranking) are some eye-pleasing female character design and a training sequence that makes for a respectable action piece. Beyond that, though, this is an utterly forgettable light novel adaptation about an obnoxiously OP protagonist. It doesn’t even have the guts to go for anything more than undefined nudity in a bath scene where there’s plenty of opportunities for it, and what is with the outfit that no self-respecting 10-year-old boy would ever be caught wearing? I’ve been known to watch out low-grade isekai series just for brainless entertainment, so I may give this one more episode, but I can’t see it being a keeper in this packed season.
Re: Monster
Streams: Crunchyroll on Mondays
Rating: 3.5+ (of 5)
I almost rated this light novel adaptation even higher, but I’m going conservative on the rating to start because its action scenes take substantial animation shortcuts. Even so, this is an isekai title which makes a quick stylistic impression, and not just because it’s one of the bloodier and more viscerally violent examples of its genre. The pacing, style, and especially keen use of musical score all make this one a grade above the average. Director Takayuki Inagaki had a critically-acclaimed hit with his last outing (Birdie Wing), and while I don’t expect this title to be as big, it has potential to be at least somewhat memorable.
In the story, Goburo was a human who got brutally stabbed to death by a woman in a high-tech, battle-strewn world where esper powers exist. Rather than get a special ability on reincarnating as a goblin, he carried over a previous ability akin to Fate Graphite’s Gluttony skill in Berserk of Gluttony: he gain skills from what he eats. (And eating is a big thing in this setting, which is stressed heavily in the visuals.) He uses that to rapidly evolve himself into a hobgoblin and effectively become the leader of his cave. And he intends to make his cave flourish.
The one possible negative for some here is that goblins in this setting appear to be much like in Goblin Slayer: though there do seem to be female goblins, they keep human women for breeding stock. This is just barely touched on and then forgotten, though, so the story doesn’t obsess over the point like Goblin Slayer does. Also, that it’s quite violent should not be underestimated; the artistry loves its blood splatters. Still, I’ll definitely be watching more of this one.
Spice & Wolf: merchant meets the wise wolf
Streams: Crunchyroll on Mondays
Rating: 4 (of 5)
I’ve got waaaay more to say about this one than will fit in a Preview Guide format, so I’m taking this series straight to episode reviews. Will put that out later on Monday 4/1, once the other debuts for the day have been cleared.
Gods’ Games We Play
Streams: Crunchyroll on Mondays
Rating: 2 (of 5)
In this light novel adaptation, gods have been challenging humans to games for an apparently very long time. To give humans a sporting chance, certain humans – who are called Apostles – are granted super-powers which can mostly only be used in the alternate realm where the games are played. Apostles lose their powers if they register three losses, but if they get 10 wins first, they get a “Celebration.” No human has ever accomplished that feat, but genius Apostle Fay, who’s won his first three games, just might. He winds up becoming the supervisor for recently-discovered “former” goddess Leshea (who looks uncannily like a woman he knew in childhood that he’s been looking for), who’s gotten stuck in the human realm and is looking to use the Gods’ Games to get her way back to her home realm. And she’s determined to make Fay her partner in that endeavor.
Essentially, this is a Creative Challenges series mixed with a Genius Shows Off trope. There are a couple of interesting bits of world-building in play here, such as the implication that humans mostly don’t dominate their own world. That raises the somewhat intriguing possibility that the human realms could be artificial, too. That seems outside of the far less interesting focal point, however, and that’s the main problem. Neither of the main characters introduced so far is all that compelling, but the first episode is also saddled by a musical score which sounds like it’s borrowed from a second-rate VN and very shaky production values; a couple of scenes have some distorted body proportions, for instance. Stuff like that wouldn’t be unusual in a mid-season episode where the production is struggling to stay on schedule, but it’s a bad sign for a first episode. I might check out one more episode of this, but don’t see much promise here.
Studio Apartment, Good Lighting, Angel Included
Streams: CR on Saturdays (1st episode debuted a week early)
Rating: 2.5 (of 5)
The Supernatural/Alien Girlfriend trope has been a staple of anime romcoms for more than 40 years now, and the first episode of this manga adaptation shows it to be as pure and generic an iteration on the concept as they come. Really, the set-up could not be any more ordinary: Shintaro is living alone in a studio apartment while attending high school and working at a restaurant (his family, who is paying for the apartment, is not present but in the picture). One morning he finds a sexy girl sleeping on his balcony, who turns out to be an angel named Towa sent to Earth on what essentially amounts to a study mission. Naturally, they’re both such good-natured people that they start cohabitating despite Shintaro’s limited space.
If you’ve seen Oh! My Goddess, you’ve pretty much seen this, with the slight exception that this one much more distinctly leans into (mild) fan service. Aside from Towa’s character design, absolutely everything about it so far is as generic as can be; Shintaro could be the long-lost identical twin to Nasa from TONIKAWA (another series which has some very similar vibes) and nothing else is exceptional about the production values. The OP (given at the end of the episode) indicates that more girls will eventually enter the picture, so this could eventually be a harem-type series, too, but again, nothing even slightly fresh there. The first episode is competently made and paced, so I can’t give this too low a grade, and this series may work fine if you’re looking for something comfortable and familiar. If you want a bolder or fresher viewing experience, though, look elsewhere.
Train to the End of the World
Streams: Crunchyroll on Mondays
Rating: 3.5 (of 5)
In this original anime series from the director of Girls und Panzer, Shirabako, and Another, the advent of the brand-new 7G network sure changed the world, all right – to a reality-altering degree. Two years later, all adults have turned into sentient animals, as does anyone who ages past 21¼ years, and the physical environment has warped in places, too. Electrical grids are limited and non-local transportation is difficult. In this environment, four girls from a rural village set out on a train to seek a friend who left town before the accident. Their destination is Ikebukero, where a newspaper picture places her only a month earlier.
Really, haven’t you ever wondered if the advent of some new communication network might upend the world more literally than the pitch for it claims? Essentially, this series takes that idea and runs headlong with it. Advertising trailers were very coy about exactly how weird this one was going to be, as they focused almost entirely on the girls and only included animals in innocuous ways, but the end result is satisfyingly different enough that this may be much more than just a “cute girls do xxx” series. The series also works quickly; in just 23 minutes it sets up the concept, distinctly establishes the core cast and the various weirdnesses apparent from the girls’ perspective, and gets its central premise of a train journey rolling. The animation effort from studio EMT Squared is unexpectedly strong, too, the background art is sharp, and character designs – both human and animal – are appealing. The pacing feels a bit frenetic, but otherwise this is a solid opener for a potentially intriguing concept.
