We here at oprainfall don’t just love video games: we’re big fans of anime, too. So in celebration of the medium, we’re here to give you our thoughts on what we’ve been watching each week as we watch it. Old, new – anything goes.
Currently Airing:
Do It Yourself!!
I’ve never really been a cute girls doing cute things anime fan, but I really liked some of the animation cuts I saw from Do It Yourself!! and decided to give it a try. It’s an interesting enough premise: Serufu is an accident-prone klutz who attends an all-girls vocational high school but wants to reconnect with her childhood best friend, Purin, who attends a super elite high school next door. Serufu decides to join the DIY Club in order to recreate a bench she and Purin once played on as children. Despite her constant mistakes and injuries, Serufu keeps at it with the help of club president Yasaku. Along the way she makes a new friend in class bookworm Hikage, who has never really had friends or been invited to join in any activities. I’ve only watched a couple episodes, but they are what I would call “comfy.” The animation is super fluid and detailed when it gets down to the actual DIY segments, and the character designs are incredibly charming. I’m not sure this is something I’ll necessarily keep up with, but if you really like chill, slice-of-life stories about the power of friendship, you can’t go wrong here. – Leah
– You can watch Do It Yourself!! on Crunchyroll.
Akiba Maid War
Realizing they don’t get much business or do much stuff that is maid-like, an event for the cafe is planned. They decide on doing a birthday event, with the one with the nearest being Ranko. Seemingly no one really cares about her birthday and Nagomi and Ranko seek out help from an affiliated cafe. Things don’t go well there and trouble starts. We see the other maids were trying to hide their efforts for the birthday and are notified by a certain panda about the two. Ranko does a majority of the fighting so it was good to see the others showing they can be just as willing, although much of that is off screen. We hear a bit more about Ranko’s past and how she appreciates Nagomi and the others. Things end on what might be a lead up to their next problem. That being said it was nice to hear another song from the maids, though I wasn’t expecting it to be Ranko doing it. It was a pleasant surprise. – Walter
– You can watch Akiba Maid War on HIDIVE.
Mob Psycho 100 III
Mob finally confronts Dimple inside the Divine Tree, though he has to go through Teru first. Despite not being brainwashed, Teru tries to stop Mob from destroying the broccoli, arguing that violence isn’t the answer to solving his problems with Dimple. For his part, Dimple argues that bringing happiness to the people, regardless of his method, is a net positive to the world. After all, he hasn’t changed anyone’s personalities: Reigen and Ritsu and everyone else will still treat Mob the same as they always have, they also just happen to worship Psycho Helmet. Dimple offers Mob a place at his side as the true founder of the cult, but Mob doesn’t want it. He wants his friends and family to go back to how they were, with the ability to make their own decisions about life. The two come to blows, but not until after Dimple has stolen most of Mob’s power – or so he thinks. Of all the confrontations this show has thrown at us, this is by far the one I’m most emotionally invested in. Even knowing Dimple has been a conniving jerk from the beginning, he’s also always shown genuine concern for Mob, so watching their friendship on the brink of destruction is honestly really sad. I’m crossing my fingers for a positive resolution, but I’m also bracing myself for the worst to come next week. – Leah
– You can watch Mob Psycho 100 on Crunchyroll.
Bocchi The Rock!
I was able to catch up with the last few episodes this week. I’m liking this series more and more. Bocchi and the others fill out their band with someone who ends up being the guitarist/vocalist who previously left, though she ends up also needing more help learning to play. We also get to see the dynamics with the different members of band, like with Ryo giving advice to Bocchi about lyrics. Bocchi might be an excessively introverted character, but a lot of her anxieties can be relatable. The thoughts she has are pretty humorous, such as the attention-whore monster. I like the art style of the show, mainly with how it changes with Bocchi when certain events happen. This will probably end up to being one of my favorites this season. – Walter
– You can watch Bocchi the Rock! on Crunchyroll.
Urusei Yatsura
Ataru and company accidentally unearth the alien princess Kurama, after which her tengu-looking servants beseech Mendo to awaken her with a kiss. He’s just her type, you see, and tradition dictates that the princess must engage in “amorous congress” with the man who kisses her. Too bad for her Ataru is actually the one who kissed her awake, though her servants are loathe to divulge that truth. Lum isn’t too keen on it either, and they conspire to keep it a secret so that Kurama and Mendo hook up instead. Unfortunately, the elder won’t have it and says they have to stick to tradition. This was probably my favorite episode so far, and not just because of the subject matter. You can hear the voice cast having an absolute blast, especially Mendo, and it’s positively infectious. david production also really flexed their sense of color and style to the max this time around, especially when Kurama finally gets Mendo alone in her “nest.” I love the pop art style the show uses. It gives it a ton of character and charm. I look forward to this show every week and I can’t see that changing any time soon. – Leah
– You can watch Urusei Yatsura on HIDIVE.
SPY x Family
We get another double-short episode this week. First off it’s Yuri’s turn to tutor Anya for her upcoming exams. It goes about how you’d expect. Yuri is always a fun character to have around, and seeing him interact with the “gremlin” Anya was a treat. On the one hand, our favorite esper is Loid’s “daughter,” and Yuri can’t stand the “sister-stealer.” On the other hand, Anya treats Yor with love and reverence, and Yuri’s sister-complex kicks into overdrive. His inner monologue was hilarious and my favorite part of the entire episode. In the end, he storms off when his tutoring amounts to naught, but Anya takes the lesson to heart and applies herself to actually study. Too bad it’s for the wrong subject. The second half of the episode follows Loid as he tries to break into the school to alter Anya’s test scores to make sure she doesn’t flunk. Along the way he meets another spy named Daybreak, who is an absolute buffoon. Loid’s reactions are priceless throughout this entire sequence, and we get a lot more insight into exactly how seriously he takes his profession. Compared to last week’s vignette-style episode, this one was a lot stronger with a ton of comedic beats. It looks like we’re getting another set of mini-episodes next week too, but at least one of them looks like it’s gonna feature Yor, so I’m excited. – Leah
– You can watch SPY x Family on Crunchyroll.
Chainsaw Man
Just as Denji appears to be out of hot water following the defeat of the Bat Devil, he’s ambushed by the Leech Devil, who rips off half his arm and eats it. After losing so much blood in the previous battle, Denji can’t transform into Chainsaw Man, but that doesn’t stop him from going toe-to-toe with the Leech to prove that his dream of touching Power’s boobs is stronger than the demon’s dream to eat all humans. Power watches helplessly from the sidelines, too weak to even defend herself, but Hayakawa saunters in just in time to save the day. For his trouble, he’s forced to house Power in his apartment along with Denji, and she is the worst possible roommate. Even Denji takes offense to her refusal to flush the toilet or eat her vegetables. Still, that groping offer is still on the table, so he’s not too put out by her being there. This cast continues to have amazing chemistry, and I’m here for it. We’re also getting hints at something bigger going on in the world and I’m curious to see exactly what Gun flesh means. – Leah
– You can watch Chainsaw Man on Crunchyroll.
What anime are you watching? Let us know in the comments!
You can read previous Week in Anime entries here!
