It’s week 3 of Summer anime! Lots of changes in the rankings compared to last week, lots of shows coming in to their own and a few dipping in the ranking. As mentioned last week I’ve included a note on how much any particular episode has increased or decreased in the score out of 100 compared to the previous week’s episode. Anyway, let’s get started with Week 3 of Summer 2019 Anime!
Demon Lord, Retry! – Episode 3
69/100 (DOWN 4 points from previous episode)
This show just feels like it’s being made up on the fly, which, on the one hand I’m kind of okay with–”spontaneity being the spice of life” and all that–but on the other hand this kind of lackadaisical approach to storytelling leaves me feeling less connected to the characters which is always a sure way to have me losing interest. If this series had out-and-out declared itself as a comedy from the get-go I would be more willing to go with its free-wheeling approach, but as it stands it just kind of feels like a haphazardly put together isekai with difficulty staying consistent.
given – Episode 2
72/100 (UP 1 point from previous episode)
Things improve(?) this episode by having Mafuyu be slightly less of an insufferable main character by giving him additional dialogue beyond the whimpers and sighs that punctuated his existence in the first episode. Everyone other than him makes this episode entertainingly watchable though, and makes me wish this series was about anything other than him. I look forward to more music in future episodes and less general annoyance because there’s a lot ~technically~ good about this series.
If It’s For My Daughter, I’d Even Defeat The Demon Lord – Episode 3
76/100 (DOWN 3 points from previous episode)
Our protagonist Dale’s endless enthusiasm for his new demon-daughter Latina is beginning to grate on me ever so slightly (as his voice actor, who sounds like he’s half-way from becoming a ‘South Park’ character). There’s no faulting little Latina though, who remains as adorable as ever. And while the middle part of the episode to do with Dale’s quest to take out a group of demon’s threatening a city had some interesting moments (like the reality of him killing demons, even though his new daughter belongs to that race) it was all a bit safe and ordinary otherwise.
Fruits Basket – Episode 16
80/100 (UP 3 points from previous episode)
Did someone say “swimsuit episode”?! I mean it’s a lot more complicated than that obviously as this episode is a lot about Arisa and her backstory, which is surprisingly a lot more interesting than her mostly 2 dimensional characterisation had previously given her credit for and a part of me is glad we’re getting to know the backstories of the important people in Tohru’s life but a part of me wonders if there’s a point to it all? Nevertheless I laughed quite a bit at the ‘delinquent’ shenanigans in this episode–especially in the post credit scene, I’d love to see more of those side characters!
Magical Sempai – Episode 3
80/100 (DOWN 1 point from previous episode)
More of the same which is never a bad thing when it’s fun and saucy and lighthearted like this show is, we’re also (finally) introduced to a new character, a very ‘hands-on’ teacher who also happens to be our Magical Sempai’s older sister! I think I prefer the sketches in this show that has our characters move away from the school setting and having our Sempai interacting with other people.
Are You Lost? – Episode 3
81/100 (DOWN 1 point from previous episode)
This anime continues to have an irresistible mix of fan-service shenanigans and legitimate desert island survival tactics which makes the show so much fun for me. Plus I do like that we’re slowly getting some added character development throughout the series. I think there’s added benefits of this show being a shorter anime though as it would probably get old, faster if it was full length.
Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest – Episode 2
82/100 (UP 7 points from previous episode)
While the first episode had some awkward flaws that made it an uneven experience with promising aspects the second episode improves upon nearly every aspect of the series and introduces us to an interesting new character with a compelling backstory. There’s still plenty of room for growth in this series so I haven’t completely given up on it like a lot of people have, but likewise there’s still a lot that could go wrong–but as always I like to err on the side of ‘optimistic’.
Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san 2 – Episode 2
83/100 (DOWN 1 point from previous episode)
This show is kind of impossible to review when it’s just ‘doing it’s thing’–which is the majority of this series, it’s adorable and funny and sweet and silly and I’d just be happy to keep watching this series… except… I really hope these two develop ~more~ of a relationship by the end of this show. That’s all I really want from this anime now.
The Demon Girl Next Door – Episode 2
84/100 (DOWN 4 points from previous episode)
Everything it did right in the first episode it continues to do so—its a smartly written comedy with unexpected nuances. The only reason for the drop in score is that it wasn’t as ‘surprisingly funny’ as the first episode supplied which is expected of a second episode that’s tasked with expanding upon ideas. The characters and voice acting remains a highlight alongside the aforementioned high quality writing.
Cop Craft – Episode 2
85/100 (UP 2 points from previous episode)
This series continues to hit a lot of familiar beats that you’d find in your usual US live-action cop shows do but thanks to its fantasy-skew and just it being an anime in general means it all has a fresh and vibrant feeling to it. Likewise I’m glad that the show isn’t afraid of being dark and having a serious plot developments–while also having lighthearted and even surprisingly sweet character moments weaved between. It’s a deft balance that the show handles really well and makes the whole experience much more worthwhile.
Is It Wrong To Try And Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon? II – Episode 2
85/100 (UP 5 points from previous episode)
I feel like last week’s episode would have benefited from being a double length episode because things pick up considerably in this second episode and also are a direct continuation of those events and it’s a rollicking good time from beginning to end with the stakes suitably high and the tension ratcheted high as Bell and Hestia outrun the villainous members of Apollo Familia who are intent on capturing Bell or forcing a War Game. I’m not sold on Apollo as a villain (he’s kinda lame at the moment) but I’m still interested to see where this season goes!
Isekai Cheat Magician – Episode 2
86/100 (UP 2 points from previous episode)
An extremely solid follow-up to the first episode with our two isekai’d protagonists learning just how powerful they are and beginning their training. Though, is it just me or were there some ~serious~ Yuri vibes going back and forth between Rin and elf girl Muller than went beyond the usual student x tutor relationship? Wishful thinking on my part perhaps…
YU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love At The Bound Of This World – Episode 16
86/100 (DOWN 4 points from previous episode)
The thing that remains so intriguing about this series is everything that remains on the peripheral, its that eternal tease of being just on the verge of knowing the answer but being a hair’s breadth away from the truth. And ultimately this show is less about that alluring truth as it is the twisted, roundabout journey that our protagonist finds themselves on. Also, I’m impossibly fascinated with the character of Kanna and everything about her story.
Re:Stage! Dream Days♪ – Episode 2
87/100 (EVEN with previous episode)
In my first episode review I called this show “unexpectedly great” and I suppose you could say this second episode is “still unexpectedly great”, I love the growing friendship between Mana and Sayu and the new character introduced in this episode brings a fun dynamic to the budding group!
Hensuki: Are you willing to fall in love with a pervert, as long as she’s a cutie? – Episode 2
87/100 (UP 1 point from previous episode)
Almost the entire episode was focused on our blonde library assistant Koga and it was fantastic getting to learn about this character, her back story and her growing connection with our harem lead Keikei. One thing though that elevated the material even further was the tension that slowly ratcheted up as the audience wondered what ‘perverted’ attribute she would possess, how she was going to Spring this information on our boy and how he was going to take the news. I won’t spoil the reveal but it absolutely lived up to the anticipation and added even more depth to Koga’s characterization!
How Heavy Are The Dumbbells You Lift? – Episode 3
89/100 (EVEN with previous episode)
While I admit I’m a little bit disappointed that they didn’t even mention (let alone follow-up) on Hibiki’s dramatic revelation with her punching strength power the episode itself was the expectantly great content we’ve come to expect from this series. Also, it added an interesting and fun new character (their teacher) and the episode even paid a visit to Comiket which was a good chance for some cosplay related shenanigans–even if they were more male focused than I might have liked…
Do You Love Your Mom And Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks? – Episode 2
90/100 (UP 5 points from previous episode)
Talk about hitting all the high-notes in an otherwise ‘tried and true’ genre such is isekai. It was hilarious from beginning to end, with every joke more or less landing perfectly and it introduced us to two vastly different but very complimenting side characters who enriched the experience. Also it had a decent amount of fan-service, which while not unexpected (I mean it was a given if you know anything about this type of series) was well-implemented, amusing and even a little sexy.
Wasteful Days of High School Girl – Episode 3
91/100 (UP 8 points from previous episode)
As far as any episode-to-episode growth ‘Wasteful Days of High School Girl’ had an amazing third episode that solidified it as a true contender for the Summer 2019 anime season. Unexpectedly for a show that set itself up as a series of comedic sketches in a high school we got almost a full episode devoted to developing one of the side characters, nicknamed Loli. And even more unexpected was how well the show combined its emotional moments with laugh-out-loud comedy–truly an excellent episode all round!
O Maidens In Your Savage Season – Episode 3
94/100 (UP 2 points from previous episode)
I kind of feel bad for any other show this season because every episode of this anime is a bonafide masterpiece (or damn near close at least) and so it seems like this will always be at the top of the list. That said, there’s not a lot to say about this episode as it continues to expand upon the ideas and themes it built in the previous two episodes deftly balancing, drama and comedy better than most shows can even dream of. There was also a wonderful ‘twist’ that happened mid-episode, that I won’t spoil but added a whole new layer to the series going forward.
***
Missing from this week’s ranking is ‘Fire Force’ Episode 3 which was intentionally delayed a week due to the Kyoto Animation Tragedy in Japan. I hope this was an enjoyable read, thanks for reading!
Previous Summer 2019 Weekly Anime Review Posts:
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Anime QandA 
I’m currently bingewatching Is It Wrong To Try And Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon season 1, because somehow I have been talked into watching seasonal anime, despite the fact that I wouldn’t be watching seasonal anime this season lol 🤪 I’m at episode 9 now, so I hope to fully catch up so I can watch/talk along next week! 😊
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Yay! I hope you’re enjoying it!
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Well…it certainly is a fun show so far! I’ll probably will be able to finish it all this week, so next week I can actually respond to the current episodes 😊
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Definitely picking up O Maidens. I’ve heard enough good about it at this point to bother catching up.
Also, I’m liking Cop Craft so far. I don’t mind if it keeps the basic cop show structure as long as the writing stays as good as it is now. Really enjoying the banter between the two leads.
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Hooray! Another one watching ‘O Maidens In Your Savage Season’ makes me very happy. Hope you end up liking it too!
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I really like your comparison of the current score to the previous. Gives me a quick idea of how the show’s trending from your perspective…
“Is It Wrong To Try And Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon? II – Episode 2”
Apollo might not be the most amazing villain ever, but after the second episode, I want to see him — and his lackey Hyacinthus — gone. Soundly defeated first, then gone. I guess they might be more effective than I’m giving them credit for if they elicited such a strong reaction!
“Do You Love Your Mom And Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks? – Episode 2” is _this close_ to being enjoyable, but in my world, putting a son so close to his naked mom is just creepy!
And it’s too bad, because I think we’re over due for an attractive, more mature woman in a role like this. And Mamako has both attractive and mature covered!
Now, if you swapped Wise for Masato in those scenes? The world changes into an amazing place!
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Thanks! I figured I needed to do something a bit different to spice up these recaps, plus I do love ranking things!
That’s a fair point about Apollo, they haven’t made a well-rounded or particularly interesting villain but he is certainly loathsome enough to garner a similar reaction from me.
For me there’s nothing especially more creepy about this ‘mom x son’ shenanigans than ‘sister x brother’ shenanigans you get in certain shows. I find them funny and I rarely put myself in the shoes of the protagonist so I can “enjoy” this without guilt lol.
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