Doctorkev’s Winter 2024 Anime Postmortem — Rest of the Season
After yesterday’s look at what I felt were the very best anime of the Winter 2024 season (a top 10 of the total 21 shows I finished), now comes the turn of the rest of them. This season, I mostly chose fairly well which new anime to watch, so I can’t say any of the following shows are bad — even Gushing Over Magical Girls surprised me by how good some of its episodes were. The only show I dropped was A Sign of Affection, mainly because it bored me to tears. I understand why some people liked it, it’s not a bad show, but I Did Not Care What Happened to any of the characters. Clearly, I’m a monster. Anyway, in no particular order, here’s all of the other things I finished watching:
’Tis Time For Torture, Princess — Crunchyroll — 12 episodes
I did think about dropping this one after the first few very repetitive episodes, but it remained just amusing and cute enough for me to continue. It’s one of those “one joke” shows that repeats variations of the same skit over and over again. Thankfully, later episodes branch out into other gags and more diverse character interactions, and for a show supposedly about torturing sensitive information out of a captured princess, it’s surprisingly wholesome. I get the impression the poor princess wasn’t very happy in her life in the human kingdom, but now that she has all these lovely new monster friends who insist on feeding her yummy food and taking her out on daytrips, she’s found her true home. It’s very similar in concept and execution to Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle, but isn’t quite as creative or funny. I wrote a more detailed review at Anime News Network that you can read below:
Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss but I’m Not the Demon Lord — Crunchyroll — 12 episodes
Probably the most entertaining of all the numerous “Villainess” series this season, Villainess Level 99’s strong point is its often clueless, completely deadpan protagonist Yumiella Dolkness. She continues through her reincarnation as a terrifyingly-powerful dark magic user as if she was still playing a video game back in her old world. That means focusing almost exclusively on level grinding and attempting to avoid interacting with any of the main characters. She succeeds spectacularly at the levelling aspect, not quite so well at the human interactions. It’s unsurprising that everyone assumes she’s the Demon Lord at the beginning.
By the end of the show, Yumiella has (mostly) done enough to (sort of) reassure the other characters that she isn’t evil, plus she’s even found a devoted potential boyfriend. It’s such a shame that Yumiella’s so spectacularly dense when it comes to others’ feelings and emotions. Poor, poor Patrick.
Villainess Level 99 will never win any awards for originality, nor for visual presentation (the CG used for monsters is bargain basement garbage of the very lowest degree, and the battle scenes are essentially still images.) However, it’s genuinely funny, especially when Yumiella bounces off the stereotypical pink-haired “good girl” light magic-using “main character” Alicia. The scenes where Yumiella drag her to a dungeon to force her to level up are hilarious.
I’m aware this season adapted only the first volume of six light novels, but had to change quite a lot of the plot (especially regarding the actions and motivations of Alicia) and this may make future seasons tricky to make. I’m happy enough with this single season though. It ends in a good, satisfying place.
Gushing Over Magical Girls — HIDIVE — 13 episodes
I still almost can’t believe I watched this entire thing. I don’t think anyone else in AniTAY’s community was brave (or debased) enough to even attempt it. Look, it’s obvious that Gushing Over Magical Girls won’t be for everyone. It really isn’t aimed at me, however I still managed to have a surprisingly fun time with it. I just had to keep trying to forget that all of the aggressively sexualised characters are middle-schoolers. Why, oh anime? Why must you do this?
Once you’ve stepped over that main hurdle (and it’s debatable whether it’s a hurdle any self-respecting adult should ever cross), then what you’ll find is an extremely funny, very weird, obscenely over-the-top sex comedy. Set in a world that appears to be devoid of men, I can only assume that every human being is therefore by default a lesbian. Pretty much every main girl character likes girls not just in that way, but in other less salubrious ways too. Namely kinky, S&M-related ways.
I’ll be the first to admit I don’t really get the whole dom/sub thing. It makes me uncomfortable, I don’t understand how anyone can get sexual satisfaction from either humiliating another person, or being the one humiliated. But I also understand that’s something other people are into. You don’t need to be into this stuff to enjoy Gushing Over Magical Girls. It really leans into its S&M-flavoured absurd humour though, and it’s best if not taken seriously at all.
Assuming then that you’re at least vaguely “comfortable” with an anime featuring barely-pubescent anime girls being stroked/spanked/licked/prodded/violated repeatedly, then perhaps you might be ready to appreciate some of the nuanced character development and drama on offer. There’s a kind of coming of age narrative under the surface here, as main character Utena comes to understand what it is she loves about the magical girls she’s long obsessed about, and why she’s driven to dominate and abuse them so. It’s not a show intended for wide audiences, so I can’t give it a wholehearted recommendation, but considering its blu-ray volumes have outsold Frieren in Japan, it must have found its audience. I wonder if a second season with better production values might be on the cards? And would I be brave enough to watch it?
Metallic Rouge — Crunchyroll — 13 episodes
Oh dear. What started so promisingly with an intriguing and stylish future-noir SF setup, a killer soundtrack and stunning animation, devolved into a garbled mess of a story. Part of the reason I delayed writing this article was to wait for today’s final episode. What a bloody mess. I almost completely checked out in the second half of the season. Once Rouge and Naomi leave Mars, the plot rapidly spins out of control, with multiple factions including random aliens fighting over… something? I don’t really know, I can’t follow a damn thing. Characters keep making grand announcements about who-knows-what, while frequently switching sides. Nothing is satisfactorily explained.
I still don’t get what the hell the entire show was all about because none of the characters ever communicated with one another except with obfuscated dialogue full of Proper Nouns and technobabble. This is not good writing. Despite a fairly exciting final episode, the sheer idiotic audacity of using a double-deus-ex-machina to resolve the plot leaves me scratching my head. What was this all about? Why did anyone do anything they did? There was an omnipotent puppet master character the entire time? Why did he do any of the ridiculously convoluted things he did? What a sad, pointless waste of time. It looks great, with “Gladiator Form” designs like something out of a trippy Peter Chung production, but sadly wastes its potential.
Doctor Elise: The Royal Lady With the Lamp — Crunchyroll — 12 episodes
Nominally another “villainess” isekai show, at least this one has the creativity to have the main character be reincarnated twice, the second time back into her original body. Elise was a bratty, selfish girl born into the nobility in her first life, before becoming a surgeon in the modern age in her second. Following her death in a plane crash, she awakens in her former teenage self’s body with all of her memories from both previous lives. She decides to defy destiny and become a doctor again. Her betrothal to her kingdom’s crown prince makes her ambitions harder to fulfil, but she’s plucky, intelligent and driven!
I’ll admit the medical aspect of Doctor Elise made me roll my eyes a little. Anyone with even the slightest bit of medical knowledge can guess where the heavily-signposted plot will go next. This isn’t as convoluted or complex as the kind of stories you’d find in House MD. Elise’s pseudo-nineteenth century fantasy world isn’t very consistent in its medical tech either. They can perform open heart surgery, have ECG machines and x-rays, but somehow no-one’s ever considered performing a splenectomy? Come on. Also the fact that Elise, as basically a first year medical student, is somehow allowed to operate on real live human beings, stretches credulity.
The secondary plot about political intrugue among the nobility is severely undercooked, and though the relationship between Elise and the crown prince is very sweet, their interactions are mostly when he’s somehow magically disguised as someone else. Because apparently this otherwise relatively down-to-earth show has magic now? Really? I suppose I enjoyed this for the daft wish-fulfillment fluff it was, but I was already tiring of it about two thirds into the season, and only finished it out of obligation. Apparently the rather trite ending is anime-original — the webtoon has reams and reams of endlessly scrolling chapters yet to be adapted. I probably won’t bother with any hypothetical second season.
Brave Bang Bravern — Crunchyroll — 12 episodes
Ok. So I kind of dropped this after four episodes because it wasn’t doing it for me. The endless comedic homoeroticism was more than a little too much, and the shows it seemed most interested in emulating (giant robot and super sentai) in general aren’t something I’m that familiar with. Most of the references sailed way over my head.
However, the deafening praise for the show that flooded my social media convinced me to give it another try at around the episode nine or ten point, and I’m kind of glad I did. Bravern became even more ludicrously bonkers towards its end, with some brilliantly insane time travel plot device shenanigans (that I admit I did see coming) and some great action scenes. Although the tone remained all over the damn place, in the end I enjoyed the show a lot. Even the perpetually “ga ga pi!!!”-shrieking Lulu became less irritating over time. I’m still not quite sure who Bravern was for exactly. Like Gushing Over Magical Girls, it certainly wasn’t for me, but I found it silly fun nonetheless.
Sasaki and Peeps — Crunchyroll — 12 episodes
Initially, I was more positive about this throw-everything-including-the-kitchen-sink-at-the-wall-to-see-what-sticks fantasy anime, but eventually found its storytelling choices both baffling and boring. How can a show featuring a talking bird, isekai and reverse-isekai, psychic warfare, deranged magic girls, and yandere girls be boring? I don’t know, but somehow Sasaki and Peeps managed it. Well done, I guess…
There’s something to be said for middle-aged protagonist Sasaki and his world-weary reaction to each new fantastical complication that inserts itself into his life. Unfortunately that dry weariness infects not just his overly-wordy narration, but also the plot progression. Focusing too heavily mid-season on a terminally-dull prison rescue plot in the most boring fantasy world ever was a bad choice, and the show’s lack of focus elsewhere meant none of the disparate plots ever came together.
I’ve written more about my disappointment in a full ANN review linked below. There’s a second season coming, so I’ll still watch that in the hope that it may yet redeem some of the frankly baffling plot beats from this first tranche of episodes.
The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic — Crunchyroll — 13 episodes
On choosing my “worst anime of Winter 2024” for an ANN article, I really struggled, because in general I don’t tend to stick with bad shows. The editorial line was that only shows the writers had watched at least half the episodes of could be counted, so that ruled out A Sign of Affection. I did try to watch beyond the 4th episode, but I fell asleep. I think in retrospect, I shouldn’t have chosen Healing Magic, as although the middle section and its extended flashback became terminally dull, it picked up a lot towards the end. I think that now I’d sadly pick Metallic Rouge for most disappointing, at least.
Healing Magic is a mostly fun show about Usato, a normal guy dragged accidentally into a fantasy world when his far more talented friends are summoned as “heroes”. He discovers he has an affinity for healing magic, and is sent to be trained by Rescue Team leader Rose, a terrifying one-eyed mountain of a woman. She’s a lot of fun, and she soon beats him into shape. The main reason he’s needed is to help keep the human troops alive in their upcoming battle against the invading demons.
It takes too damn long for the demons to invade, leaving the show to squander its earlier goodwill on unimportant, redundant scenes. Rose’s extended flashback is sad, but is completely unnecessary. Read my further thoughts about it below at the link:
Solo Levelling — Crunchyroll — 12 episodes
So this is an anime that has “mainstream hit that hardcore anime fans hate” written all over it. Most of my fellow AniTAY colleagues can’t stand this webtoon adaptation, mainly because it’s an incredibly basic power fantasy, lacking any kind of nuance or interesting concept beyond the protagonist’s drive to “get more powerful.” A1 Pictures have certainly gone all out on the show, it looks incredible especially during the action sequences.
I’ve enjoyed Solo Levelling, I know it’s nothing particularly new, but it’s simple eye candy with a strong sense of progression. Also the main character’s sister is cute. I really don’t like the whiny, cowardly healer girl though. Looks like she’s been written out, thank God. I’ll continue to watch the second season whenever it’s released. Sometimes I need that “put brain in neutral” time to watch pretty colours as monsters explode.
7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy! — Crunchyroll — 12 episodes
Yet another “villainess” anime! Except pink-haired protagonist Rishe isn’t a villainess by any stretch of the imagination, and also she’s been reincarnated six times, and is now on her seventh life! That Doctor Elise doesn’t sound so special now, does she?
This is another good fun fantasy, but like with Doctor Elise I started to tire of it towards the end. Maybe I’ve watched too many villainess shows now. I kind of stopped caring too much about Rishe and her somewhat spiky relationship with the reserved Arnold. I didn’t like his lack of communication, or his apparent sulkiness very much, nor did gunpowder-inventing Michel do much for me, with his desire to use his invention in the most dangerous and damaging way possible.
Rishe herself remains the best aspect of the show right up until the end — intelligent, resourceful, moralistic and determined. I might watch a second season, but to be honest I really tuned out of the last three or four episodes, so I’ll probably have to re-watch them.
Mashle S2 — Crunchyroll — 12 episodes
A refreshingly daft magic/shonen power escalation comedy that doesn’t take itself at all seriously, on the whole Mashle season 2 is pretty good fun. Most of the season is taken up by an extended tournament arc/magic exam thing that escalates into an all-out battle with the Big Bad. We learn a bit more about main character Mash’s origins, but mostly it’s lots of silly magical battles and Mash doing ridiculous non-magical things that might as well be magic.
The final episode has a scene where Mash’s friends defend him from a mob that’s incredibly similar to a scene in My Hero Academia where Deku is defended by female love interest Uraraka. I’m not sure if this is a homage, plagiarism, or just coincidence. It doesn’t matter, because the scene works really well. Despite not being magical, Mash has fit in at magic school. He’s found some great friends who love and support him. It’s a great vibe to end a season on.
That’s it from me for the Winter 2024 season! I’ll be back in a few weeks to cover whatever delights we have coming up for the Spring 2024 season. Lots of sequels, from the looks of it. See you then!
