The years just zip by, don’t they? Hard to believe this is the 12th year I’ve run this project now. It started so humbly, and I would like to think it has maintained that vibe and approach despite how much I’ve taken on over the past decade or so. What was meant to be a more slimmed-down and old-fashioned year of just 5 shows sort of blew up to being much larger than I anticipated. I figured since I have a little extra time in November, I could allow a follow-up season for shows and an extra person or two as well. Which ended up being 7 people, and almost every participant gave me the maximum number of episodes as well. In the end, this year was the largest quantity of episodes I have ever watched for the entire project. Kind of wild to think that I managed that just by allowing one or two extra people and being a little less strict. As I always say, and never learn from, there is always next year to make it a little less overwhelming! Well, with all that out of the way, the classic thing I write every year with the rules are below. And let’s just get this rodeo started! BUCKLE UP YA’LL!

The way this mega-post will work is as follows: I will talk about the shows in order of when I watched them, there will be two splits of non-spoiler & spoiler, and you will get an idea of how I felt about them all through that. Afterward, I will present individual awards for several hand-picked categories. Then the final part comes. I will give the official order of how they all ranked this year, and deem the winner of the 2025 November Challenge! It should be fun, but it will be a lot to read. I will have a large spoiler picture above each section that talks about well…..the spoilers, for people to avoid if they wish.

Before I begin, I would inform the readers outside of Kitsu, what the rules of this tournament are generally when people sign up. Aside from a “first-come, first-served” to sign up unsaid rule, these are the following rules I use.

THE RULES
-The show’s length must be between 10-30
-It must have full-length episodes.
-No shorts, OVAs, ONAS, films, or anything else aside from standard format shows(Exceptions can be made with a proper discussion!)
-No adult content like hentai
-You must have seen it to completion
-I must have not seen any of it.

Other than that, let’s get into talking about the challenge!

2014 Winner: Shinsekai Yori

Other Shows: No Game No Life, Shiki, Bokurano, & Kyoukai No Kanata

2015 Winner: Berserk(1997)

Other Shows: Donten Ni Warau, Princess Tutu, Mawaru Penguindrum, & Master Keaton

2016 Winner: Oh! Edo Rocket

Other Shows: Planetes, Katanagatari, Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu, & Haibane Renmei

2017 Winner: Fune wo Amu

Other Shows: Kino’s Journey, Aishiteruze Baby, Cuticle Detective Inaba, Food Wars, & Hanada Shonen Shi

2018 Winner: Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Season 1

Other Shows: Mob Psycho 100(S1), A Place Further than the Universe, Tamako Market, Emma: A Victorian Romance, Kyousougiga

2019 Winner: Future Boy Conan

Other Shows: Silver Spoon, Big Wind Up, Dennou Coil, Isekai Shokudou, Outlaw Star

2020 Winner: March Comes in Like a Lion

Other Shows: K-on!, F, Aria the Animation, Recovery of an MMO Junkie

2021 Winner: House of Five Leaves

Other Shows: Takarajima, Kobato, Bakuman S1, Banana Fish

2022 Winner: Run with the Wind

Other Shows: Key the Metal Idol, Utawarerumono, Daughters of Mnemosyne, Moribito

2023 Winner: Taisho Otome

Other Shows: Hi Score Girl, Appare Ranman, Senryu Shojo, Servant x Service, Babylon, Kokkoku, Interview with Monster Girls, Symphogear S1, Video Girl Ai

2024 Winner: Skip & Loafer

Other Shows: Phantom Requiem for the Phantom, Akiba Maid Wars, Sleepy Princess in a Demon Castle, Apothecary Diaries S1

2025 November Challenge!

Show: Zombie Land Saga S1/2

Year Aired: 2018/21

Studio: Mappa

Episodes: 24(12×2)

Source: Original

Watched For: Feethebunny

Just how out of date are you Fee!?? Zombies were so 2010. Like, come on, man! Everyone knows it went Lord of the Rings high fantasy, Harry Potter, vampires, THEN zombies, superheroes, and whatever sort of disappointment AI and Trump have brought since then. However, it wouldn’t be the iconic Fee the bunny if he didn’t ignore all logic and just follow his gut to make me have an experience before all else. He has always sort of played fast and loose with the whole winning or losing thing with tournaments, challenges, and everything else in between. Which, you know what, I am quite alright with. This year, Fee has graced me with not only outdated undead, but something far, far, FAR more frightening. If you guessed idols, you would be right! It’s a true horror come to life. Zombies meet idols in the mash-up that no one expected or asked for, but it seems like a lot of people were happy to be graced with! I don’t fall into either category of fan in all honesty, but I would say that, like with most things, I am not closed-minded to an opportunity to be pleasantly surprised. That being said, Fee himself gave up on that happening after submitting it, so sometimes I wonder what he was even thinking when he chose it? Ah Fee, never change, you keep me guessing almost as much as yourself!

To those who are uninformed, which is most of you, obviously, what exactly is Zombieland Saga? It’s a kooky idea, is what! There is this guy, for reasons undisclosed to the viewer or main cast, who revives around a half dozen idols throughout history to help save a dying prefecture. His plan is simple: train undead girls to storm the world with their music and bring some life to rural Japan. The group is an assortment of personalities and idol types throughout the past 100 years or so. We’ve got a modern idol, a biker idol, a courtesan idol, and one idol that is still unable to even act like anything but a zombie. This group has one mission: to save Saga without compromising their identities. There isn’t really a huge reason they have to do this, but apparently, it would be quite a ruckus or problem if the world knew, so it is ordained as their way of life. So, we spend the vast majority of the runtime getting to know the girls, their histories, and seeing them overcome challenges, big and small, as they strive to achieve their new dream of saving Saga. While it sounds like a very motivated, serious series, Zombieland Saga is definitely more of a comedy with inspiration as the backbone. 

So obviously, if you hate zoooooooooombies, then hold on to those prejudices and skip this one. However, if you like coming-of-age tales, wacky Japanese humor, and, of course, corpses putting on their sweetest moves, maybe, just maybe, you should check this one out. This show is definitely an odd bridge between, like, your classic idol anime and an episodic ensemble zombie comedy show. It doesn’t really do anything with the whole zombification to others shtick, but just shows how you can use the concept of being a zombie humorously. I don’t know how big that fanbase crossover is, but based on anime fans I know, it seems like a match made in heaven. Or I guess hell if you think zombies are satanic. Either way, you are either gracefully listening to their tunes on a cloud or headbanging like a heathen! Most of the drama is personal character drama that gives more context on who the girls were before they died and why that motivates them to be better than they are now. I do think this show has an audience that it can appeal to, and that audience is larger than one might first think. We anime fans are a silly little bunch, so silly little anime for silly little people is a silly good time…..right? As long as you don’t outright reject the comedy or idol aspect, I think this show could land well with you. And if not, you can call them stupid zombies as much as you want and feel validated. We are here with you, even if you are being unreasonably angry at a piece of media that didn’t actively try to harm you. Well, minus Blue Gender with Shaz and Caps, there is some trauma there, but hey, that doesn’t have to be you! JUST WALK AWAY IF YOU HATE ZOMBIES!

My favorite moment of the post-selection of Zombieland Saga was Fee telling me he had no idea why he thought it would do well with me and fully expected me to crucify it. That definitely tickled me since that seems like an odd choice, but sometimes we all need a good laugh. Speaking of that, comedy would for sure be the highlight of Zombieland Saga. Surprise Fee, it wasn’t all doom, gloom, and eternal pain! This show has some genuinely amusing comedy sprinkled throughout the adventure. I think I was more taken with the comedy that wasn’t reliant on regular gags and the surprises, though. There are a lot of gags that are classic anime comedy, and they were hit or miss, but some stuff in this show is really funny. Small stuff like “nice bird”, the head-banging concert at the start, the talent show, and many other smaller bits. When this show went the route of using odd jobs to show off the comedy, it worked the best for me. The actual funniest part of the show was just listening to whatever ad-lib performance nonsense they allowed Miyano Mamoru to do. I swear that guy is such a silly bastard, and they just let him make the funniest bits by just letting him go all out. There is a reason he is an industry giant, and this show is another example in his body of work that shows why he is one of the comedy kings of the anime seiyuu world. I definitely wish the series had focused almost exclusively on a local idol style of storytelling more. I think this is where shows like this shine the most, because I will be honest. The cast is just alright. They do get a variety of personalities together and flesh them out plenty. I don’t think they actually get a lot of mileage out of making them diverse in execution and entertainment.

When Zombieland Saga tries to be a traditional idol anime is when it was at its weakest for me. It just feels very humdrum, typical standard fare stuff most of the time. The songs aren’t really memorable or emotional, and the girls are fine, and that is all I feel about them. I don’t actually think their backstories elevate them to being shining gems or anything of the like. It helps them not feel like cardboard one-dimensional beings, but it doesn’t bring enough flavor to make them feel truly special either. It’s a tough game to play, but this show doesn’t win, unfortunately. There is no part of the idol journey and saving Saga that I personally ever cared about on an emotional level. When they are performing for kids to make their day or breaking out of their slump from emotional baggage, I am all there for it. There are fleeting moments of greatness here, but as I said before, I think the series is better as a comedy rather than a dramatic save-the-area journey. The lack of impact in storytelling and music just can’t save this series, so I don’t see how it is going to save Saga either! Outside of that, I feel the show isn’t really offensively hard to sit through. It wasn’t mind-numbing (like a ZOMBIE), nor was it gross/unbearable to watch either. It isn’t the funniest show ever, and it isn’t the most compelling when it wants to be either, yet it is just fine enough as a piece of media. What does that mean to me? I have no idea! Just like fee, as I get older, I find it harder to put some of those feelings into words. I guess the simplest way to put it would be….

It wasn’t a NICE BIRD, but a moderately acceptable bird with slight flight issues and a need for the right home. They just don’t make signs big enough to say that! I will say that this show has more potential if they decide to make more of it. I can see a chance to go further with the girls, and outside of the movie that I haven’t seen, the rest of the cast has already been covered, so it would have to be just wild antics to boost their popularity. And I mean, if AKB0048 can do these guerrilla concerts, why can’t Zombieland Saga do a Gorilla Guerilla Zombie Concert? I want more batshit crazy and funny ideas that seem improbable. That isn’t really fair to the series itself since I am putting my own wants and desires, but there is definitely some untapped content here waiting to be sprung loose. We don’t even have the true reveal of the manager’s connection to our main heroin,e and I’d love to see something with that too, since it is one of the few ways they could make me actually care more about the girls more than just a standard amount. The Saki and Lily storylines showed it can work, so I desire to see if they can take that same step with a few others. The series is imbalanced as hell, but when the comedy strikes, when the heart gets lightly tugged, when it gets creative, good things happen. I am all in favor of a future season helping make me not only care about the girls more, but also elevate their idol performances to something no other anime is doing. They have the platform to use it, now just do it! 

Random Fact: Prior to Romero’s impact with Night of the Living Dead, zombies are often credited with originating from Haitian culture. Zombies are featured widely in Haitian rural folklore as dead persons physically revived by the act of necromancy of a bokor, a sorcerer or witch. The bokor is opposed by the houngan (priest) and the mambo (priestess) of the formal voodoo religion. A zombie remains under the control of the bokor as a personal slave, having no will of its own.

Show: Mou Ippon!!

Year Aired: 2023

Studio: Bakken Record

Episodes: 13

Source: Manga

Watched For: JoannetheRed

Look at Joanne deciding to fuel my personal journey of trying out most sports anime at least once. I mean, yes, I care more about knocking out every baseball anime I can, but I do love getting to learn and watch other sports plenty as well! This time, we have a Japanese classic. We are being taken to the mats to watch some good old-fashioned judo! For the 34 people reading this who aren’t aware of what that is, HOW COULD YOU LIVE WITH YOURSELVES!? **Ahem** Clears throat….I mean, let me tell you what it is so you can stimulate your brain with some new information, because learning is POWER! Judo is a traditional martial arts sport that is played on large padded mats. Think very similar to a karate or taekwondo sporting match, but instead of using strikes and kicks, the aim here is grappling. Your goal is to outmaneuver your opponent and try to toss them on the mat within a specified area. The game is played in small but intense increments to keep the pressure on you and your opponent to try and land a scoring point. Depending on how your opponent is tossed and lands on the mat changes how scoring is applied, and similar to wrestling/MMA you also have the option to wrap up your opponent and pin them on the mat for either a point or attempting to make them tap out in a hold. It’s a very physical sport of endurance and positioning, and Mou Ippon puts judo as the star of the show.

We follow the adventures of several girls who are in a very small judo club and their journey to try and win some matches at a tournament. Each girl has a strength, and the way judo works on a tournament level is very much a team sport, so no one person determines the outcome in most circumstances. Every single competitor affects the outcome, no matter if they win or lose. Whether you score a coveted ippon, get worn down and toppled yourself, or outlast your opponent by any means necessary(within the rules, you degenerates!), your minutes on the mat matter and hold significance. Sometimes, losing a match but giving your teammates data on the opponent or simply tiring them out a little is more than enough to swing the match in your team’s favor. All these components, and of course, the intricacies of the sport itself, are at the center of what Mou Ippon focuses on. The series is partially a coming-of-age tale like most sports series, but if I am being completely frank with you, even if that isn’t my real name, Mou Ippon predominantly focuses on the matches and sport of judo itself. The series is less about dreams, building up to fruition, training arcs, etc, and more about unadulterated(because they are kids!) pure team judo.

Which, if you didn’t already figure that out above, the mileage you get out of Mou Ippon will be highly dependent on whether you are able to invest in almost 12 full episodes of judo-centric content. This isn’t to say every waking moment is a judo match, but the entire series is about judo itself. It’s either about the club, the tournament, or what judo means to them on an individual level. Yes, there is a nice dose of young friendship at the backbone of all of this, but just be forewarned if you find judo icky, you shan’t escape it here. On the other hand, if an anime focusing on a classic Japanese staple with a bouncy, cute cast intrigues you, and you also love some girl power, you might find something to interest you here. This show is highly reliant on the viewer’s ability to enjoy and respect the art of participating in judo matches. The fun personalities of the cast will only take you so far if you aren’t buying into Judo 112%. You do need a slight understanding of the sport to follow along as well, as they barely spell out anything. This isn’t a series that babysits you through every sequence; they expect you to keep up or learn whilst trying. It reminds me of some older sports shows in that regard. You are there for the adventure, and this isn’t like Kuroko or Naruto, where you get a pamphlet and breakdown for each and every new technique introduced. Matches are snappy and waste no time, and in an era where everything wastes my time, maybe that is a blessing in disguise. You decide, I mean, you obviously know anime better than me, at least that is what most snide comments seem to indicate when I get critiqued! 

And alas, ear wax, I was one of those people who was very disappointed with the structure of Mou Ippon. While I did respect the realism of the sport on display, and how concise and to the point it was, I can’t say I was ever enthralled by any of the happenings. Mou Ippon suffers from the opposite problem of anime, which over-explain things. It doesn’t dig into its sport deep enough to feel invested. I didn’t even understand what an ippon was until like episode 3 or 4 because the differences between the techniques and what they mean in the scope of a judo match are just plainly never verbally said unless absolutely necessary. This makes for an experience that is lacking in oomph. I can plainly state that if you only know of judo and know nothing else about how the sport functions, Mou Ippon is a hard sell. I just didn’t care about the matches because I didn’t understand why something was impressive or well executed since my contextual knowledge of the sport was next to zero prior to starting the series. I don’t need things spelled out constantly, and I was able to glean a fair amount of info as I watched more matches, but this didn’t make me especially entertained, as it felt like I had to spend more time paying close attention to understand the sport than just simply enjoying the matches and the growth of the girls through competition. It’s a shame because there are few sports that this bar of entry would pose a threat to me, but judo is definitely one that does. It’s not a massively complicated sport in terms of what is possible, but I do think it is important to at least establish a firm starting relationship with any sport before watching a show that is dedicated to it without a lot of exposition on the mechanics of it.

On top of the sport not gripping me because of the lack of investment through my ignorance, I also gotta say, most of the girls are some vanilla personalities. Sweet as can be, but about as plain as you could ask for. There isn’t a lot of depth here, and without a lot of time to invest in a dream or their backgrounds, it makes them have little intrigue. How am I supposed to care about a character whom I barely get to know, compete in a sport I don’t follow? It’s a double whammy that spanks the series onto the map with a decisive IPPON! Again, similar to the show above, I don’t outright dislike anyone in this show, and the matches feel as real as turning on ESPN2 while on vacation in a hotel room when I am a little bored. Even with all of that, this show never really turns its best components into true shining aspects, and it holds it back from start to finish. We do have a scrappy and infectiously lovable lead, but that is it, no extra level of layers or personal connections to drive us forward. Just a girl who likes to have fun and is simply doing a sport with her friends. Maybe for some it doesn’t need to be any more complicated than that, but I am not a guy who is going to fully commit to loving something without a little more given to me. It makes everything feel a little underwhelming and lacking, and I come away from the experience without much of anything of note. After a full season of watching, I just began to care a little bit, but now it is over, and I can’t get anything else from this series. You can see how that might pose a problem for my overall enjoyment. One can not reliably say nice things about a show when the potential to be better only exists with more subsequent material, and even then, nothing is guaranteed. I think this series needs a little more focus and a little more downtime on the game to expand its ideas and make the judo more exciting, but give us a goal to watch the girls work towards. Not just competing for the sake of hoping we do well this time, because it is expected. 

I feel the most essential piece to the puzzle here would be to make judo even better. The matches themselves are as tight and hype as they need to be. So, no notes there, but on the other hand, using the new member who only has a superficial understanding of the sport(just like me!) to teach her and the audience the joy and value of the many facets of the sport would be a huge help to improving the overall. Having a whole storyline with a coach who barely shows their teaching despite having a history in the sport, and having a newbie with boundless potential, is a match made in heaven, but the series to this point does almost nothing with that concept. Even if she isn’t able to make a large impact in matches, this type of content goes a long way to making the support around the mold of judo that much stronger and more interesting when watching. If you want judo to be the focus point, then be laser-focused, and make everything in your show a portion that adds to that whole. The sport itself isn’t enough to carry that burden without a little help. Just like a team match, if you don’t make every single part of your company do its part, then everything will fall apart, and you will lose. A little extra training and strategy is all one needs to bring out the best in their surrounding factions. It’s too late now, of course, but I do think this show is just a few steps away from being something more special than it is. This is what separates the true greats of the sports drama world and a show like Mou Ippon. If a series can make me care heavily about a card game or simply running, then judo can for sure make a splash in my life. You just need that little extra, and it doesn’t have to be a secret ingredient. Just a slight rehaul of the menu for the most delicious and impactful IPPPOOOOONNN possible. 

Random Fact: Most other famous “wrestling” and hand-to-hand sports, such as Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Krav Maga, sambo, ARB, close-quarters combat (CQC), and mixed martial arts (MMA), are derivatives that were inspired by judo’s base.

Show: Orb: Movements of the Earth

Year Aired: 2024/5

Studio: Madhouse

Episodes: 25

Source: Manga

Watched For: Fukuchi(CRSE)

The circumference of the Earth is 24,901.461 miles. The distance from the Earth to the sun is 91.614 million miles.  Earth’s orbital speed averages 29.78 km/s (18.50 mi/s; 107,208.00 km/h; 66,615.96 mph) in a prograde motion that appears to make the sun and other stars move. All of this information is the basis of the heliocentric view of the universe that states our galaxy revolves around the sun, despite a long-standing viewpoint prior to this that believed the Earth to be the center of the universe. The historical evolution of viewpoints towards such matters is rooted in ignorance, lack of scientific information/tools, and the power of culture/religion in common knowledge spreading. For a long time, many parts of the world held their own unique beliefs and conventions on how the world came into being, and the “science” behind it. It wasn’t until much, much later, with the aid of expansion in scientific knowledge and tools, that we as a collective came to understand the placement of the planets and their revolutions around the sun. History is a fickle bitch filled with all sorts of poor documentation and human error, and the strife of change that sometimes doesn’t reflect the burden the people of the time took on to try and enact a difference in the masses’ views. One can’t simply say overnight that democrats eat cats as a fact and get everyone on board. And the same applied to heliocentrism; it took a lot of effort and time for people to find what the truth is. The crazier the statement in retrospect to current history, the more unlikely it will be proved to be true, but in some cases, like heliocentrism, we did eventually get to that point of change. 

Orb is about a fictionalized account of that very struggle. While it takes some liberties with historical accuracy, for the most part, the story stays in line with how hard it is to simply change the human cognition of such a massive idea. The very idea itself was so against conventional belief at the time that someone couldn’t just say that and get no pushback. We get a version of this where we see the power of religious persecution in the name of keeping things at the status quo. Don’t shake the boat if you will. A lot of people are tortured, chased, and killed in the name of keeping “blasphemous” viewpoints from creating conflict. An irony, since letting people do science research in peace versus constantly challenging them to die for their “sins” creates far more conflict than it would have if they were left to just think without outside input. People as a collective really don’t like the idea of their foundations being shaken, though, so I can see why they would lunge out with such foolish and closed-minded approaches. Orb is definitely more of a philosophy class than anything else because of this. It brings up ideas we are quite acquainted with and asks questions about them if they weren’t universally known or believed to be even possible. This show wants you to think and appreciate how even the smallest person can play a part in shaping the larger parts of historical impact. 

There is always a problem that arises between anime fans when a show like Orb comes out. It becomes insanely well-regarded at a rapid speed, so lots of folks watch it to see what the hype train is all about. And of course 95% of anime watchers have far more targeted tastes than they realize, so when the series inevitably doesn’t suit their preferences, that means it is overrated and boring garbage. I bring this up because Orb is a series that flirts with pseudo-elitist mindsets by being a slow-burning intellectual series that revolves mostly around talking and ideas rather than action or sakuga. There is a place for all types of anime in our medium, but you will always find nasty discourse around series that tend to be made with this style by groups of folks who hate “slow” anime. Then you also have the other end of the spectrum, where some people eat this up so much that it becomes an instant classic in their eyes and one of their all-time favorites. The clash between these two parties creates a lot of discussion, which is actually a great thing, all things considered. It’s better to stay relevant despite groups of people not agreeing on what is actually quality in their eyes. I have several friends who look at shows like this with quizzical eyebrows as they judge it before trying it or tell others to avoid it because it is overhyped. And I also know several people who tossed it into their top 10. The endless struggle of overly opinionated anime fans telling each other they are wrong never stops being pure entertainment and a shit show. You gotta love the hustle. It’s the type of thing that makes Caps so happy; he goes out and buys new curtains with past adverts that inspired him. And yes, that is a non-tangent just to make him happy.

IT IS ORBING TIME! Welcome to the story of how many many people die just to have someone else steal the credit for their efforts! Kinda crazy that those last two episodes completely curb the entire cast and all their stories just to be like….oh yeah, there was an actual guy by the way hahahehohaha. So yeah, I guess I want to start off with the biggest critique of all, which is the ending of the story. I think it doesn’t mesh well at all with the first 95% before it, and actually sort of invalidates the journey the cast goes through. All these guys die, and for what? So random happenstance line attached to decades of work to help inspire some other guy to lead the way to the actual spread of heliocentrism? It feels sort of cheap and sad to end the story that way, if you ask me. If you are going to do a fictional interpretation of history, then like commit to it all the way instead of shoving those players to the side at the last hurdle. Few things irk me, like trying to put two parts of a story together that just don’t work. And it’s a shame because outside of that last portion, I actually thought Orb was a fairly compelling piece of work.

Orb is a story/style of anime that I tend to vibe with a lot. Meaty dialogue and exposition don’t bother me when the people feel like they are having a realistic discussion. *Also, as a footnote, please stop interrupting me, random college students with your rentals, I HAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE WAITING FOR THIS POST! I think this show is quite fun to watch since it gives a little insight into what it must have been like for people questioning ideas that shake the entire truth of their universe. It’s a wild concept since during my lifetime nothing of that magnitude has ever occurred, and I doubt it will either. Unless the cats eating thing is true, but I mean, come on, that is from the most insane guy of this era! While a lot of ideas get repeated and rediscussed in this show, I rather liked the whole approach of showing the slow progression of the concept and how different minds and backgrounds went about dealing with the taboo subject. It felt palpably tense anytime someone was caught or put in a situation that could end not only their lives but possibly their entire part of the research. It could possibly cause a regression or even worse, erase the possibility of new discoveries towards the evolution of the idea. If all could be lost, it makes a true sense of fear things could explode. With all the students getting in my way, I am sure that read terribly, but we carry on! Just like the main cast of Orb! No matter what stood in their way, the idealization of realizing their truth would not and could not be stopped. I mean, shit, this show kills characters as casually as Martin does for Game of Thrones. It’s sort of rare to see an anime/manga be so willing to replace the current main character with someone else in the sake of the narrative. This is one of those oddity series, though, that does just that. I think, and correct me if I am wrong, but this show kills every single main character prior to the final two episodes. They don’t die peacefully or anything; they either get tortured, hanged, murdered, or any other sort of death you can imagine. Which does bring up my other critique with Orb.

As fantastic as the presentation of its ideas is, as interesting as the discussion on this topic is, and as tense as the story gets at times, this anime never made me fall in love with the cast. It’s an assortment of average people put in dire circumstances, but Orb is all about one thing and one thing only. The story is the main character; therefore, its cast members are vehicles to drive home anything and everything associated with Heliocentrism. It causes a split in my ability to enjoy the overall package I got. I do like meaty storytelling, and this was a fun watch altogether, but we are hitting a similar problem that most shows have had this year with me: I just don’t feel overly attached to the writing of the characters. In this case, it isn’t that they are flat or one-dimensional, but rather they end their storylines as abruptly as they start them, so most cast members just feel like they exist to pass the torch rather than feel impactful on their own. Which I suppose is a problem since the thematic backbone of Orb is literally about passing the torch til it is finally lit at the destination. I just couldn’t get fully invested in these people because they were cut from the narrative around the same time I started to care about them. It normally takes a few episodes to build emotional attachment to media or characters, so quick deviations in setting or killing main characters off can do more harm than good if you ask me. A strong as the foundation here is, I do think the other elements needed a little more to push Orb from good to amazing. I find the series to be a solid time with some cool thoughts and themes injected that needed someone to tie the whole series together throughout its many time jumps and deaths. You could say it was Nowak, but I mean someone we want to root for. I think Nowak does the role great if it were inverse to a hero or side character who saw it all transpire. Instead, we just see him realize his own folly in a Shakespearean way without our own character to successfully support. Orb needs that, and it isn’t there, and I say POPPYCOCK to it!

Random Fact: Orb: mid-15c., “sphere, globe, something spherical or circular, orbit of a heavenly body,” from Old French orbe “orb, globe” (13c.) and directly from Latin orbem (nominative orbis) “circle, disk, ring, hoop, orbit,” probably related to orbita “wheel track, rut,” a word of unknown and much-disputed origin.

Show: Dead Mount Death Play S1/2

Year Aired: 2023

Studio: Geek Toys

Episodes: 24(12×2)

Source: Manga

Watched For: cwavs

It’s funny that even with my large background with anime experiences, there is always something submitted that I am unsure what it even is when it is chosen. Cue the worst-named series of the challenge, DMDP! Looking at it on onset, you would assume this series is the lowbrow edgelord stuff of 12-year-old chunni dreams. And honestly, I guess with the concept and execution, it certainly could be. What I didn’t know before starting it was that the same original creative mind behind Baccano and Durarara helmed the narrative. This certainly made a lot of things I was curious about, structure-wise wise make sense as soon as I learned this. The real question would be what elements of those prior works it would take, and how those would blend with the hopefully new things unique to it. Baccano, I have little issue with, and it is one of my top ten favorite series of all time. Durarara, on the other hand, I have a very mixed relationship with. It blew my mind when I first saw it, but on a revisit, I found it a little tiring to keep up with the constant shift in point of view and slew of new people introduced as important parts of the ever-expanding cog. This gets exemplified in the following seasons and ended up being the reason I never even continued to finish the final part that was released. Maybe someday, but it becomes a chore when you have to spend a significant part of your watch trying to keep up with who is who and why they are relevant as mysteries expand their roles and make things so much more complicated.

Death Mount is a fantasy mixture series similar to the other works as well. What I mean is, it’s a series with supernatural aspects in an otherwise normal setting. Most folks aren’t “special,” and so we get to see the impact of how these pivotal types change the environment and dynamics around them. And just like those shows, we also have a few normal humans that are insanely talented or strong…because why not! In this series, we follow a reincarnated necromancer from the Middle Ages who is reborn in modern Japan. Is his plan world domination or flooding the whole of Japan with undead idols to save their dying financial woes!? Nah, he really just wanted to leave his dangerous life for somewhere he could just fuck off and be in peace. I respect that you know, we all want peace of mind, I feel. Too bad for him, he is reborn as a kid who was just murdered, and now he is wrapped up in a mystery filled with a massive amount of things going on. All sorts of factions are at play, and a multitude of power players are shifting the pole towards their end, depending on whoever they take out or bring in on their team. Looks like peace will have to wait for no,w huh? 

So, if you can’t tell, this show is like the definition of anime. It’s got a crazy premise, magic, and dozens of characters who want to hurt each other to be on top of the pyramid. This show is definitely more Durarara than Baccano in terms of the way it sets itself up. While both of those older shows have a lot of characters, Baccano introduces a bunch at once, and then we primarily follow just them in small groups for most of the journey in different places. Durarara, on the other hand, uses one hub area to shove as many players into its games as possible to keep things constantly shifting and mysterious. Dead Mount Death Play does this often as well. So if you like the way Durarara expands its cast as the many mysteries unfold, DMDP will flirt with that same sort of design. I will be upfront, though, and say this show has a lot of fan service (big boobies on all the laaaadies), so that might ruin some of the investment for you. If you are the type of person who couldn’t enjoy the horror of something like Shiki because the hair is Dragon Ball levels of goofy-looking, then just keep in mind that DMDP uses every female character as an ideal body type for hetero males. Outside of that, though, it’s a wacky story with wacky characters doing all sorts of wacky things, so if you like anime chaos, this is the right place for you to be. Embrace whatever weeb you are in your soul! Just don’t be that one guy who forgets to wash his bits. We all have noses, and you should respect that! 

Since I just mentioned the tits, I might as well start with them, huh? I mean, what kind of man would I be if I didn’t comment on Cwavs giving me a show with gratuitous breasts in my face? I do love boobs, I promise, but there is a time and place for them. To Love Ru? Sure! Keijo? Who else is gonna use the titty hypnosis? A serious mob-like story with murder, betrayal, abuse, etc, etc? Not really the place, unfortunately. This isn’t a minor problem either, as almost every single crucial female character in the story is given G-cup tatas and outfits that show them off. This includes our very important and insane underage girl who saw her parents murdered and became a killer because she is sort of messed up, too. You can see where this might be a tonal conflict, right? It wouldn’t be that big of an issue if there weren’t several key conversations done in a weirdly sexualized manner. Like that one shower sequence with the two girls pressing up on each other. It’s not like the series is flaunting naked girls constantly, but it is frequent enough to make you wonder why they did it, since it is at odds with an otherwise pretty serious world and story. Like, do I need to see this handler lady bathing naked with her lesbian underlings anytime she comes up in the story after the first appearance? It seems purposeful and without much thought of what it adds, other than a few boners here and there. Not my favorite inclusion of boobs, I must say.

The other major critique of DMDP is just like Durarara, there is a loooooooooooot going on. This show, especially season 2, introduces characters like an overworked businessman man pounds back sake shots. It is a flood of new people and connections to keep up with, and it makes the series feel like an adrenaline-fueled cocaine trip at times. I found myself really confused about who was partnered with whom and who some people even were to others. This is just not a great way to do character introductions, but this isn’t anything new for this man. As much as I love Baccano and parts of Durarara, he loves massive ensemble casts and making the reader/viewer pay a lot of attention to detail to see how they all weave together like incoming traffic on Christmas Eve. This series ends up being more like DRRR, where it is a little too much at once, which just sort of sucks, because honestly, I like the characters and stories present in spite of the overload happening to my squishy brain. 

This is where I would say DMDP makes up for some of the major faults. It may have some low-brow high-chested women, and it is entirely too convoluted for its own good, but it is a lot of fun at the end of the day. Our main character has a solid and relatable dilemma, and we get to see a really empathetic and kind side of him as he grows closer to his odd bunch of friends with their own dysfunctions. It makes for a cast filled with insane people that you can’t help but love a little. Which, considering people like Ladd Russo and Izaya floating around out there. Once you embrace the craziness, you actually get a fair amount of heart mixed in with all the mayhem. I can vibe with that for sure. I would say that DMDP was the series I had the lowest expectations for just looking at the basic cover and premise, but this is why you can’t just base on those things. It exceeded its projections and ended up being probably the easiest show to binge in the entire month of exhaustion I just endured. Even with all the overly complex and layered narratives mixing into one another, I think DMDP was a very joyous ruckus at its best and only mildly eye-rolling at its worst. I would definitely watch more of it if another season came out. Just you know, maybe, just maybe, stop bringing in new characters and keep expanding what you already have. We have so many groups trying to take each other out, I don’t need more to come up with. A lot of the best moments were when many parties intersected at the same time, so just make lots of creative mash-ups of the cast and take me where you will. It worked best like that in Baccano, and I see the potential for this series to do the same. Keep it simple…stupid! Except you aren’t stupid, you are a beautiful soul, and I cherish you, just you know, give me a break and slow down! 

Random Fact: The oldest literary account of necromancy is found in Homer‘s Odyssey. Under the direction of Circe, a powerful sorceress, Odysseus travels to the underworld (katabasis) in order to gain insight about his impending voyage home by raising the spirits of the dead through the use of spells which Circe has taught him.

Show: Little Witch Academia

Year Aired: 2017

Studio: Trigger

Episodes: 25

Source: Original

Watched For: Kuroonuma

It’s magic time, baby! This might be one of the few anime in this selection that I don’t have to do a huge preamble for. I am going to do it anyway and make you read it, though. Why? Because it makes the post feel more symmetrical and wastes your time, which is what our mutual relationship is all about, no? Little Witch is one of those anime that probably saved anime, considering it came from famed Studio Trigger. They were rocking the anime bloodlines back in the Gainax days, and their impact and legacy on modern anime fandom have not diminished even a little. Whether you are a fan of LWA, Dungeon Meshi, Cyberpunk Edgerunners, or the greatest series ever made, Inferno Cop. My secret is: I watched the first 2 episodes of this series like 5 years ago on a trip and forgot to continue, so I took it out of my list in hopes that this day would come and force me to actually sit down and complete the whole journey. Like most of their shows, it has a very colorful and expressive style, so I had been eager to get to it. You know, I just bury myself in projects to have something that might resemble fun. Insert magical girl boss queen teacher Kuromama, and that day has come. So just like the first op of MHA, let’s see if this stuff can be PLUS ULTRA! 

Little Witch Academia is what it sounds like if you can believe it. It is about a young female witch named Akko with dreams of being like her idol, who attends a magical school and her many adventures there. Of course, it is a little more complicated than that. There is an important storyline spread throughout the entire span of episodes, but in general, the series is pretty episodic and uses a variety of animation techniques, ideas, and nods to magic stories from other mediums to make sure the show stays never stale. It usually follows Akko getting into some sort of antics, and we see how that leads to some sort of parable for her. Otherwise, it ends up being about one of the side cast girls who attends the school to give them a little more depth in between all the other wacky stuff the girls get into. LWA is very much like the studio’s bread and butter. It’s a very loose and wild series to sit through. It follows plenty of conventions you’d expect and references past Trigger/Gainax ideas plenty, but it creates brand new staples for the studio as well by using the springboard of the magical setting. It prefers to bring explosive creativity versus safe structure. 

This is the type of thing that is fairly make-or-break, depending on the anime fan. If you ask me, most anime fans eat up something like LWA. A series that is bold and creative and loves taking risks inspires most anime fans. Mix that with a colorful cast and diversified set pieces, and you get a series that goes for broke. This is sort of in line with Trigger anime design philosophy, so you’ll probably either love or hate it based on the way most anime fans react to anime that is identified with a strong, distinct flair. According to Thom, I hate all women, so therefore my score decreases by at least two if there is no male character. But what does that mean for the few male characters that do play a part? Do they even back the scale or not? A true mystery, but I do know this show does appeal to people who like very expressive female casts, which is right in his and the submitter Kuroonuma’s wheelhouse. I don’t truly have a preference either way, but I know that it can largely appeal to some crowds because either they love those specific dynamics or they find the girls at those ages highly relatable to themselves. You do get those who say, “eww, girls are icky,” that will write off LWA from the start as well, though. My thought is, if you like over-the-top anime, give it a try, or if you are a down-to-earth narrative fan or really hate this type of style, just skip it and go elsewhere. You don’t have to try out everything, so if you want to, then DO IT, and if not, maybe you should evaluate your life choices. 

Alright, Kuro, let me get the critiques out first. Would you have guessed that I don’t really like Akko very much? I can certainly see the appeal and why people love her, but I rarely vibe with her archetype. The classic manic pixie walking disaster troublemaker with a good set of morals and a heart of gold. Or at least that is the sort of guideline to it. They are usually not only why things go to shit when stuff hits the fan, but are also insensitive, rude, and altogether selfish in a bad way. Akko causes the vast majority of misunderstandings and problems throughout the runtime of LWA by simply being either impatient, lazy, or just plain irresponsible. There are times when this creates great comedy or leads to her helping someone in need, yet often it just inconveniences others at the expense of her just trying to get what she wants. Akko rarely thinks of others if she is bothered by something. This causes a lot of strife and pain for her friends and classmates on account of her being a fucking gremlin. I can let some of the small stuff pass, but when she literally ignores people’s trauma or refuses to ask questions in obviously suspicious moments, she creates frustration far too often. I just don’t like her as the lead of this show, but unfortunately, the characters are the part of the LWA I like the least. Most of them get only enough screentime to be relevant, but rarely feel impactful outside of the few required to make that specific episode’s story unfold. Sucy and Lotte both only get one real episode about them and then feel completely backgrounded from that point forward, existing just to throw out one-liners and be the voice of reason to Akko’s madness. This is a continuous problem and certainly the thing that drags LWA down from being a potentially greater series than it is. Because when it fires on all cylinders, it hits a lot of the same notes as other Gainax/Trigger anime that I enjoy.

I mean, the obvious one would be the visual style and animation techniques used to create expressive and exceedingly animated moments. I love that type of anime direction and LWA is dripping with it, from everything to comedy to action. It’s the best of the best when it comes to that, and it elevates all the very unique incidents throughout. It brings so much personality to the times when you have something only a show revolving around magic could do. Headless skeletons, magical spells, flying about fighting monsters, all of these become relentlessly imaginative in execution thanks to the way Trigger uses the medium so deftly. That and when the series actually focuses on fun magic moments is when it was at its best. There is this serious storyline that dominates the back third of LWA, and it is for sure my least favorite portion of the narrative. The episodic adventures, like the mind of Sucy, the fish exam episode, or the dead pirate skeleton, were highlights amongst some otherwise middling content. It comes down to how simple the cast reacts to most of these storybeats, which makes them feel lacking in emotional depth and weight. This isn’t as important in a 20-minute snippet that tells the entire idea in that span, though. LWA reminds me a lot of Flying Witch in that regard. Focus on the beauty of magic, and you get some really one-of-a-kind moments, but when they try to veer off of that with something else, there is just something missing. I don’t think it feels like Akko earns most of her legendary spells or deserves to be the chosen one, with how she puts people out so much. I admire her ability to never give up(sort of), but she really lacks something to be a more special protagonist. Put her in more funny circumstances, like the strike episode, and I can vibe with her existence more, though. She works as a piece of the puzzle more than the central mechanism, if you ask me. 

Which leads me to the final aspect of the show that I’m conflicted on. The main theme of LWA is essential to believe in yourself, and you can overcome any odds, no matter how dire or huge they might seem. Even if it seems like you lack that special something, simply believing in your ability to do it despite the naysayers can really be enough on its own. Now, why is this something that I would have a problem with? And does LWA do a poor job or something following through on this thematic? So, my answer would be no to both of those. I think it does a perfectly acceptable job of following through with those narrative beats and making them feel how the director envisioned. It’s just this series ended up being derivative to me. Because if you are a huge fan of Gurren Lagann, you might notice a lot of similarities with how they use that theme. Both shows have minor ideas that use this main point differently, but LWA feels like it does this concept weaker overall than another anime made by a lot of the same creative team. I feel Akko isn’t the strongest person to carry this message, and I feel the impact of the finale and storyline associated with it, Chariot, and all that drama just doesn’t ever really click. The “villain” is laughably one-dimensional in her quest to change things, and we barely get real insight into anything that would make her feel more like an antagonist with good intentions but poor views to achieve them. And I don’t even really want to mention how the whole Chariot storyline kind of blows chunks everywhere. There is really no reason she ever needed to hide her identity, and when the reveal happens, it is needlessly melodramatic and has one of my least favorite faux pas in writing. Why don’t the characters who learn this information genuinely ask for more clarity and information from the person they are meant to know and trust more, instead of face-value accepting something from someone who is clearly in the wrong here? Hell, in this case, that person who revealed it is the person who created the problem to begin with, but they just push that to the side to make drama happen. Akko’s weak character outside of being resilient to losing causes so many narrative issues here and makes the big aspect of the second half of LWA not work as well as it should when she finally saves the day in the end. So this is why I feel conflicted. I think the themes are solid, and I think parts of the conclusion are hype, but it just feels like a poor man’s Gurren Lagann with a weaker build. I am sure someone is gonna disagree with me on that(Thom cough cough), but I just think LWA has fantastic aspects that don’t cohesively make one clear and amazing vision. I see what they were going for, but just a few changes to Akko and the focus on the cast and the presentation on the narrative bits could have gone a long way to making it all flourish. 

Random Fact: Belief in witchcraft as malevolent magic is attested from ancient Mesopotamia, and in Europe, belief in witches traces back to classical antiquity. In medieval and early modern Europe, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have secretly used black magic (maleficium) against their own community.

Show: The Summer When Hikaru Died

Year Aired: 2025

Studio: CygamePictures

Episodes: 12

Source: Manga

Watched For: Futatsu

Cue the BOYS LOVE….oh wait a minute, what’s that little rabbit in my hat that I should feed more often? It’s not a boy’s love? Then why the hell do people say it is!? God damn, the internet is always making a freaking fool of themselves! I mean, yes, you all predicted Dan & Phil, but you can’t call everything gay and just claim it as your territory! The Summer(NOT SPRING, NOT FALL…AND SURE AS HELL NOT WINTER) When Hikaru Died is a mystery supernatural anime, with a gay character, but zero romance, or inclination of romance to ever be had. It’s largely focused on something else, but one element exists and the larger group of the internet clamors for it to be labeled as that. I swear, this isn’t to be mean, but most of you really aren’t good at actually discerning what a story is about huh? A series can have baseball in it and not be a sports anime, just like a series can have a character struggling with a homosexual identity without it being about two people falling in love. Once we all get on the same page here, then maybe you can see what the series is actually focused on.

Which would be the titular mystery surrounding Hikaru’s “death”. I won’t go into any specifics to respect those blind watchers similar to myself, but this show is about a supernatural being, similar to a yokai or god-like spirit, and its impact on a small rural Japanese village. It comes into contact with the main character Yoshiki, and their relationship and the way they interact as the days go on start to have a ripple effect on the town. More strange happenings occur, and things get spooky real fast. The series is squarely focused on the interdynamics of the citizens of this town, and trying to figure out what this being is, why it exists, and what will happen if it remains where it is now. There are tons of questions, and since this is only a first season, a lot of them remain unsolved. We spend a slow crawl getting to know the cast, and the being, and their relevant histories together. A lot of this series’s narrative is working towards finding more answers to the big question marks, so we are left in the dark and given only what we see to work with. There are all sorts of little reveals spread throughout the season, and I would no doubt assume we would see more things like that as future seasons/chapters are released.

This is why the group I would recommend this to most are big fans of interpersonal demons and mystery. Those two elements are the core of Hikaru, and if you aren’t the type who is highly empathetic or okay with a show taking its damn time to get to the point, you aren’t the audience. I know I saw some people say the BL aspect was disappointing or that it was too sexual for their taste, which I find odd since neither of those things has almost any impact on the show as a whole. There are zero actual sexual moments in the show, and as I stated above, this isn’t a BL, so you know, readjust your expectations if you think it is. If you still walk away from it thinking those things, I guess you weren’t the type to enjoy it in the first place. On the other hand, if you love scary stuff that isn’t too spooky, and the emotional baggage that comes with societal judgment and dealing with the idea of death, amongst other heavy subjects, you might find yourself quite invested early. Anime fans are fickle, as like most people, they decide what a show is right away before actually looking at the real content of it all. Like I always say, Rent a Girlfriend is probably overhated just like Sword Art Online is overhated. Just admit you don’t like it and stop treating every slightly below average experience as the Anti-Christ. That should be reserved for like Utena or Lvl 2 Cheat Skill!

Gosh, I hate having to write so roundabout just to avoid talking about Nonuki. I know it is seemingly common knowledge, but Hikaru actually being dead is the first “real” reveal of the series after all. I think this series is really about showing a lot of parallels and discussing the definition of “human” and “monster” through the lens of Nonuki and Yoshiki. The former is an actual monster of some sort, but is mimicking a human, and we get a ton of focus on how he doesn’t understand human emotions. Things like mourning, love, attraction, hate, etc, don’t exist in its sense of being. It does what it needs to survive and protects what it cares about to do that. In this case, it almost newborn baby’s imprints on Yoshiki thanks to having the memories of his now dead best friend’s body. This person, Hikaru, was Yoshiki’s best friend and the person he had homoromantic feelings for. These were never shown to be known nor recopricated, and despite having Hikaru’s body, Nonuki shares none of his feelings or opinions towards his friend. This impacts Yoshiki heavily as he not only has to secretly mourn the death of his friend and desired love, but also continuously struggles with his own identity, which he can no longer rely on anyone to make him feel comfortable around. Hikaru brought a sense of comfort and support even without knowing this part of him. Yoshiki, on the flip side, feels like a monster to himself because of the way society rejects this way of love and believes he is the problem. And just like Taylor Swift, this is all a lie, and he is actually just a hurt person who wants to love and be loved. The series is super keyed in on this foil parallel between these two and how their relationship of support is making them both feel right as they are. Neither is a true monster, and both deserve a chance to live on their own terms.

One of the best elements to help drive these themes and thoughts home is how many characters in the series that are important have their own insecurities or personal tragedies they’ve experienced. They not only expand the clarity that everyone is equal in their fight to be happy and accepted, but also slowly create more pillars of support for the two main leads. Yoshiki spends a lot of time dealing with his mixed emotions of seeing this monster inhabit his friend’s body without true malice. Should he be angry, sad, or a mixture of the two? He experiences them all, and even tries to kill Nonuki, is his own confusion. Which to me almost felt like a metaphor for him trying to kill the monster. If he needs this being to feel okay existing, wouldn’t killing it be like him accepting that it is okay for him to die as well? It’s all very baggage-filled emotional trauma of dealing with something only a percentage of us would ever experience. I think it creates a solid and consistent tonal message that makes every conversation or interaction hold some sort of personal weight when we see comments about monsters, Yoshiki as a person, or even just gossip about others. The story revolves around how a monster is affecting this town, but the real story is about humans and their connections with each other and how that can have a huge impact.

The obvious critique of this series would be that it feels quite unfinished. A lot of, and by a lot, I mean most of the mysteries brought up have yet to be uncovered or solved. This is just the start of a bigger whole, but the series feels like it is missing something. Which is obvious enough. I am happy it ended on a place without a huge cliffhanger, though. I would also say that, while the series is consistently entertaining and has no lulls from my experience, it was rarely trending towards being the best in the medium, either. I think it feels like a very solid show, with excellent and experimental direction, with fantastic themes that make a nice package, but not an all-time favorite of mine. I don’t think it’s characters are as weak as the rest of the bunch this month, but I would say that with the small amount of time I spent with them, I wasn’t like in love with anyone specific either. They are compelling enough to get their story to work and function, and I like the way they do that, but they don’t speak to me on an individual level that blows me away either. Hikaru is just an anime that is a great example of something I can appreciate, but it isn’t especially a “me” sort of show. Splendid potential, definitely a markey, I am just probably not the type of person who is floored by it. It needs a little more to do that, but hey, I can enjoy a compelling story or mystery either way. Not everything needs to be my favorite thing of all time. There is a reason that is so tough to do, so we are just happy to save this as a solid recc for someone that I think it would be that special for.

Random Fact: A summer’s day as “a very long day” is by c. 1300. Old Norse sumarsdag, first day of summer, was the Thursday that fell between April 9 and 15.

Show: Honey & Clover S1

Year Aired: 2005

Studio: J.C. Staff

Episodes: 24

Source: Manga

Watched For: Dr. Broli

Here we are, the final series, and it has a very distinguished connection that none of the other shows can claim. The creator of this show was the one who made the former November Challenge Winner, March Comes in Like a Lion. Needless to say, ever since I completed Sangatsu all those years ago, Honey and Clover has indeed been on my radar as a priority series to watch. Which means, I have not seen until now, because I hate myself and only watch anime from other people 96% of the time. So in a way, it is a nice divine providence that in the end, this series found its way onto my challenge this year. I also like to ask people what they think I will rank stuff prior to watching everything, or openly share my thoughts in this post, and this show was actually the only one consistently picked to be the winner of the whole damn thing. It feels like many people who know and have seen this series believe it has all the same ingredients that its successor did. That did nothing to really affect my actual expectations, but it did make my initial excitement for the potential quite high. I love having this ray of hope that a new favorite could be right around the corner. I almost get one every year or two with the challenge, so I was eager to see if Honey and Clover would be the next one to earn the prestigious chance.

Honey and Clover is a rare series in that it focuses on young adults rather than kiddos in high school. No worries though, there is still plenty of angst and dilemma to fill your days while you watch the 20+ episodes before you. Instead of exams, dating, and figuring out your future it is……finals, unrequited love, and trying to decide if your planned future is the right one for you. Huh? funny how that actually ends up being sort of similar, isn’t it? I never realized that til now, but our transition from high school to college life really isn’t all that different, just the stakes and contextualization around it is. But yeah, Honey and Clover focuses on several young adults trying to figure out where they are going in life and their interconnected relationships. And yes, there is a lot of this person likes this person, but they like someone else, so get ready for a lot, and I mean a lot of unrequited love. Honey and Clover revels in messing with feelings of uncertainty. This will no doubt be one of those shows that perfectly replicates the emotional trials and tribulations of many young people who have gone through similar circumstances. This is the very definition of: this anime is so me frfr, but two decades before that very cringey phrase, because a cornerstone of our youth. So let’s get ready for some real fire choices with these lit young adults as they try to decide if they really are more than just a girl.

I think the clear question here is, how do you feel about melancholic young adult life, and never getting the one you want? If you love that relatable ass existence, the series is gonna strike a hell of a chord with you. I know myself, I can see that vision clearly as someone who never dated in high school or college because I always liked someone who was already taken and wouldn’t date unless the person was already someone I felt a deep friendship and attraction with. Makes it hard to just randomly get to be with someone when that happens. However, if unrequited love and very messy , uncertain feelings of doubt lingering about in the shakiness of young adulthood frustrate the hell out of you, I have found you a series to gloss over for now. I think Honey and Clover is certainly a coming of age tale of the era, so it has a lot of staying power for a reason, but at the same time, these are the type of stories that always seem to be either meh or WOWZAH you get me so well. Only you can prevent forest fires, and only you can tell what this type of story would mean to you. So go out there, and cook a stranger a meal…wait that makes no sense…I meant to say choose your own destiny!

Guess which group I fell into!? Morita is an abomination, the “romances” are painful to sit through, and this series is just plain depressing, with how bittersweet it is most of the time. I’m actually a little shocked that the people who saw this thought I would pick it as the overall winner now that I have finished it. I mean, I thought it was a high contender too, but I didn’t have the game knowledge you folks did! I’ve made it no secret that I just don’t really love melancholic media. As someone who has experienced plenty of loss and depression in his life, I don’t seek media to remind me of those feelings and feel seen. I want to enjoy my time away from the difficult things life presents, so I often avoid overly depressing or frustrating media because I don’t want to use the small amount of precious time I have to watch anime in a way that makes me feel like a cloudy, overcast, rainy day. I understand the appeal, I really do, but this type of story just makes me feel more down than emotionally resonate, if you get me. Like, I totally see the relatable nature of the characters stumbling through life, hell, I feel like I am still doing that even today, most weeks, so I know people love seeing something in themselves in the anime they watch. A lot of series don’t hit these types of narrative beats so accurately, so there is a strong connection level there. I just think many series hit the right balance of those and the steps of moving forward in a way that I personally enjoy a lot. I find it more middling to my happy levels because I see the artistry, but lack the enthusiasm for it. This is the part of the series where I just admit I am not the right person for the show, and it’s not exactly a fault of it, really.

On the other hand, the romances and Morita, I genuinely think, are a real hard sell for me. Morita, we will cover first, just because he is unbearably annoying. He has that character archetype that Akko has, but with none of the good aspects tossed in. He is the very essence of my problem with this type of character, and this series was always better when he wasn’t involved. Too bad I didn’t like the cast in general, though. We have so many painfully one-sided relationships that go nowhere romantically, and they have no depth to their attraction in the first place. So we spend a lot of time with the cast being angsty over their unrequited feelings, just to question why we should even want them to be together in the first place. I sure as heck am not rooting for anyone to be a couple here. Hagu is a problem too, since not only does she look like a kid, but she acts like one, too. If she at least acted her age, I would have no problem with a petite young girl garnering all this attention. She, however, looks and acts like a 10-year-old kid, so it makes the two guys who love her at first glance feel kinda icky to me. Then we have the girl who loves the guy who is into a widow, and won’t take no for an answer to him being a part of her life. This is the trio of everyone leaving everyone on a leash just so they aren’t truly alone, but never really respecting each other’s actual happiness. I despise this personally, and it was the triangle I disliked the most in this show. There are like 5 other random characters who love someone and get pushed to the side, too, but they aren’t main characters, so there is no reason to go into them too deeply.

I also find Honey and Clover feels a little aimless. I mean, that might be the point considering the cast it is reflecting to us, but I can’t tell you what would ever feel like a good closing point for a story like this. There isn’t really an endpoint of a certain part of their life that they are working towards as of now. Is it resolving the messy romance plotlines? Is it everyone finding their adult path? What is the goal? I am genuinely curious since there isn’t a very clear one in general. I guess that is how life works out, though; there is never actually one true path set before us. Every chance or opportunity we experience allwos for a new way for us to follow. It’s a shame, though. I found the premise interesting, liked the beginning enough, but as I watched more, the series became more and more of a chore to sit through. It went from sitting in the middle of the pack with hope that it could wrap on the season on a nice note to climb the ranks to slowly falling down the hill. I just stopped having fun at some point and wanted it to be over. It didn’t help that I was feeling burned out at this point, and work randomly slammed with stuff to do. Honey and Clover cast would get me on why I was tired of Honey and Clover in the most ironic sense of experience, maybe ever. You win some, you lose some; in the end, I felt like I lost more than I won here. It wasn’t unbearable most of the time, but I was in need of a change of pace by the final roll of the credits.

Random Fact: Honey collection is an ancient activity, long preceding the honey bee’s domestication; this traditional practice is known as honey hunting. A Mesolithic rock painting in a cave in Valencia, Spain, dating back at least 8,000 years, depicts two honey foragers collecting honey and honeycomb from a wild bees’ nest.

Awards!                                                         

Favorite Character

Phantom Solitaire

Dead Mount Death Play

He funny. Hohohoho what a silly reason to pick him as my favorite character of the month. Honestly, this month’s selection of shows had a fairly weak batch of characters and casts, so it made it hard to pick one standout person, so I went with the person who made me laugh the most. You can’t deny his Isaac/Miria energy being so real.

Least Favorite Character

Shinobu Morita

Honey& Clover

If I complained about Akko, I almost have to apologize because this guy is like the worse version of that archetype. He is never once properly apologetic and is a pretty awful person to those around him on the regular. Randomly sitting in on a troubled girl’s problems once in a while and giving gratuitous croquettes can’t make up for what a chaotic little shit this guy is. I actually loathe when he is part of a scene, and was thrilled when he was missing for the middle part of the series. It’s not funny to tease, taunt, bully, and lie to everyone around you for your own amusement. Get bent, brother.

Best Cast

Dead Mount Death Play

Feels almost wrong to pick this cast of nonsense weirdos as the best, but I mean…I really meant it when I said I think most of the series here aren’t impressing with their ensembles. I think the cohesion of built friendship is best here, so that is what helps it edge out Hikaru, and pretty only it since the rest of the series have mostly middling groups of people I had to watch for entirely too long.

Favorite Visuals

Little Witch Academia

While I do prefer Hikaru’s colors and shot direction, you can’t really beat how fluid and fun the classic traditional arts bring. Trigger, God bless you for bringing so much personality to your artwork. The amount of hyp,e action, and blissful comedy you produce using it so well is almost unmatched.

Best Soundtrack(Click on the picture for a listen!)

The Summer When Hikaru Died

Mood?

 Favorite Drama Scene

At The Shore

The Summer When Hikaru Died

MOOD!

 Favorite Comedy Scene

NICE BIRD

ZombieLand Saga

Okay, the whole bit with the commercial in general is actually the funniest part. The chicken noises, the micheal jackson 8 ft tall chicken man, the nice bird, it all comes together for the funniest episode in the Zombieland saga. And that is saying something with how many random bits this show has that are really amusing.

Worst OP

Honey and Clover OP 1

Cursed shrimp fingers will haunt me for the rest of my days on this planet.

Worst Ed

Death Mount Death Play ED 2

Look, it’s hard to pick a winner when so many EDs are just a collection of stills and a song, but this one is visually the ED with the weakest component this time around. Even a Ferris wheel or screenshots do a little more than this. YOU COULD OF KEPT THE DANCING SHARK!

Best OP

The Summer when Hikaru Died

Vaundy really gets some ridiculous, cool chorus opening cuts sometimes. First Ousama and now this? Makes his pretty sick song that much more hype and amazing when you pair it with well directed ops.

Best ED

The Summer when Hikaru Died

Honestly the watercolored transformation LWA almost won too, but this song is just the best of the shows and the funny Hikaru face is too powerful.

And the winner is….                       

7. Honey & Clover S1

Well, this isn’t how I foresaw this going. Prior to the month, this and Orb were the frontrunners in my brain to win the title. Most people thought that as well, and here we are, as it fell from potential grace hard. This series has some ideas that I think the average young adult with connect with quite well, but I found myself dejected and tired of it quite quickly. I don’t vibe with this bittersweet notion of Japanese reflection very deeply, and a half dozen unsatisfying unrequited romances on top of that certainly did not help. The series just became more of a challenge than I would have liked it to be to finish. It just didn’t excel in the primary areas that it was showcasing, and I felt like if I were a professor, the thesis would have gotten a solid C and nothing higher or lower than that. I feel like I’ve harmed Kuro’s enthusiasm for future events now even if she didn’t give me this one! :O

6. Mou Ippon! 

Razzle dazzle, I am sorry Jo! Feels bad to watch a series that had a creative vision that is clearly passionate about something and just feel sort of nothing towards it. It’s not like I can’t appreciate Judo, but I think Mou Ippon doesn’t do a good job of getting new fans to the sport. I might be in the minority of anime fans who actually like sports a great deal in general, so it matters to me a lot when a series doesn’t make the sport itself inviting to me in anime form. It can’t just have hype matches; I need to know and feel why that is supposed to be hype. Build my investment in the sport and the players and you have a much larger chance to make things spark in my tiny robot heart. I think the cast is likable enough, but they just don’t have enough chracterization to make me care about their team or their desires. It makes the whole experience feel sort of pedstrian. If I don’t want to root for the people or care about the sport, we end up spending a few hours just watching somethign I am likely to forget about later. This is what I got here, and it’s a shame because with a little more content and shifting of the framework I feel it could click a lot more. These friendships and tight matches need more foundation to really work for me. An average anime experience as I’ve ever had.

5. Zombieland Saga

STUPID ZOOOOOMBIES! Outside of the occasional laughterfest, Zombieland Saga was a very uneven experience. It rules when it wants to be episodic zombie idol schenanigans in silly situations. However, the entire second season, almost, and most of the end of the first are this serious idol drama and it just isnt interesting or emotional. The songs feel like something you would press skip on immediately, and the cast does not have enough charisma to bring any extra flourish to their performances. It makes all the idol content feel like, seen that, done that, and it gets very mind-numbing at points. But then we get these random backstories or funny episodes about weird promotions and the series uses the gimmick of the zombie girls in delightful ways. Give me more breakdancing and games of chicken, less performances in a stadium on a stage with “insert idol song here”. It takes away from the personality it creates otherwise and brings down a show with way more potential than this. Go ham on the comedy and odd jobs, trust me, I am not a doctor!

4. Little Witch Academia 

Trigger, you don’t make bad anime, but you do love to just throw it all against the wall and hope it works. Their original works always tend to have some parts that are a little lacking, and unfortunately, LWA is the series with the most of this. This plays very similarly to Zombieland Saga above it, where the main story is the worst part of the series, and the best part is the smaller one-off content. It capitalizes on the best features of the character dynamics, animation, and comedy more so than trying to be way too serious for its own good. LWA is certainly not Trigger’s greatest work, but it has blips of greatness tossed throughout. If a better lead than Akko were there, or maybe just a completely more original theme/main narrative had been incorporated, then these characters could have been so much better. The school and the world of magic are highly underutilized in favor of less interesting things, and that is a shame because I think LWA is just a few changes short of actually being more than just slightly above average. Its production is insanely impressive, and a third of what is there is brilliant. The rest just needs a little touch of love, just like me on a cold December night. HOLD ME CATHERINE…HOLD ME!

3. Dead Mount Death Play

Are you proud Cwavs, it wasn’t a complete stinker this time! You did bring me dark boob edgelord content, but it is actually more complicated than people write it off as! Which is probably why you shared it with me, because you can look past the cover to see if the content is surprisingly good or not. Not sure if you knew I was a big fan of this writer prior to this, but I must say you did a decent job here. While this show has way too many moving parts for its own good, and the treatment of women as eye candy is a little stupid, I can at least praise the good parts. It has a lot of fun characters, the interplay between mystery and magic is cool, and the main lead is actually someone you want to root for. Unlike Akko in LWA who is randomly a decent person, the main character here is actually really interesting and neat. He isn’t the best character in the show, but he helps bring the madness together when he can. I do wish this show wasn’t obsessed with the Durararaesque add a billion characters path, but at least the conflicts themselves are entertaining. I would gladly watch more of this, even still complain about the same stuff while I do. There are a few shows like this, too. The type of anime that have some huge glaring issues but the base is still entertaining enough to put up with it. I don’t think it could be fixed at this point, but that is alright, we will just roll with the punches as they come.

2. Orb: Movements of the Earth

If only Orb didn’t have a lackluster conclusion and made me actually care about anyone in it. It is such a delightful injection of philosophy that I had the easiest time plowing through a few episodes at a time when I needed to. It’s held back from true greatness because of what I mentioned before, but I do think it is still a very compelling history story with excellent writing and thematic presentation. It will surely fall into one of the most debated overrated/overhated circles as years go on, so I am happy to have seen it before the anime community makes it no fun to talk about anymore. I wanted to watch it when it first came out, and am glad I got it for the challenge since I didn’t have time earlier this year. While I was slightly disappointed it didn’t live up to other historical anime I’ve seen, I was still plenty entertained, and totally understand where a lot of the clout it has earned came from. Now I can just wait as several of my most commonly chatted with online buddies tell me I am crazy and weird for rating this high and not liking both LWA and Honey & Clover. It’s okay, I know they are wrong too. We love them anyways because someone has to!

1. The Summer When Hikaru Died

SHE HAS DONE IT! Futatsu has officially become the first person to not only win 3 titles for the November Challenge but also the first person to do it 3 times in a row! Her list is running thinner every year, so you guys better step it up next year if you want to dethrone her from her reign! I assumed going into this show, with it being 12 episodes, a mystery, and obviously unfinished, I would dock a lot of points from it. And to be fair, my actual rating of the series will reflect those aspects, and it is a huge reason why I think this series is good and not truly excellent or anything. It was just the most consistently made and enjoyable anime of the month for me, and the one I had the fewest complaints for. There are strong themes of identity, mourning, monsters, and several others that elevate Hikaru in some especially juicy ways. That, mixed with the mostly superb direction it stood out from the pack just enough to take the title this year. This series could obviously crash and burn as time goes on; in prior years, anime like this usually hit 2nd or 3rd place in my challenge, in lieu of a more complete package knocking it off the pedestal. That wasn’t the case this year, though. I neither had an all-time favorite join my life nor did I have any absolute stinkers. As much critique as I gave the bottom shows, I still find them fairly average altogether, so this month was defined by middling to decent for most of it. Not the worst challenge, not the best challenge, which means it will probably not stand out as much in a few years. The biggest significance is seeing Futatsu do something no one else has yet. She has only a little faith in her series, and two former two-time champs fought against her as well, but alas, they were merely not strong enough! This heartfelt and spooky introspective adolescent series was enough to claim the prize and remind me that I now have to watch a lot more anime for people, even after this is done. At least this was fun despite how exhausting it was!

Congrats, Futatsu, I talk to you every day, so I will work out a prize as we have done before! Can’t wait to see if your streak continues or not! Another year and another champ!  soon! I look forward to seeing what you bring me next year as the defending champion! Happy Holidays to everyone and…..

Until Next Time!

See ya, My Little Wanderers!