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:
My Dress-Up Darling
It’s the start of a new anime season, and I’ve already got my eye on this series. My Dress Up-Darling follows Wakana Gojo and Marin Kitagawa, two people who seem to live in completely opposite worlds. Gojo loves Hina dolls, and he is training to make them under his grandfather; however, he keeps his hobby a secret due to an event that occurred during his childhood. He keeps his feelings repressed, keeps his love of Hina dolls a secret, and basically lets people take advantage of him. Kitagawa, on the other hand, has no problem speaking up for herself and defending her hobbies. What’s her hobby you ask? Of course, she loves anime. The first episode of this series showcases Gojo’s first interactions with Kitagawa and how he ends up cooperating with Kitagawa to help fulfill her hobbies. What’s he helping her with? Why, he’s helping her make cosplay outfits.
I really enjoyed the first episode. The animation was clean and the two main characters are a delight. Gojo and Kitagawa, on the outside, are complete opposites. But what they both have in common are their love and passion for their specific hobbies. For Gojo, it’s his Hina dolls. For Kitagawa, it’s her anime, manga, and video games. It’s their love for those hobbies that ends up bringing them together in this episode, and it was great to see. I can’t wait to see how their relationship develops in the future. And of course, I can’t wait to see all the different outfits Kitagawa is going to wear. This is definitely a show I’m gonna keep up with. – Patrick
What a delightful anime My Dress-Up Darling turned out to be! This was one I hadn’t heard of before this season but picked it up on a whim, and man am I glad I did. Shows that really delve into a character’s passions and showcase the minutiae of that hobby – in this case, sewing and cosplay – are a joy to watch, not only because of how they lovingly highlight the work that goes into them, but because they’re also such great vehicles for in-depth character studies. Gojo is your classic social outcast who can’t possibly talk with others and Kitagawa is the spunky, popular classmate – tried and true anime archetypes if there ever were ones. How sewing brings Gojo out of his shell, and cosplay gives Kitagawa a chance to be anyone other than herself, are fun ways in which to delve deeper into why they are the way they are. Maybe it’s old hat, but even familiar stories told well are worthwhile, and from this first episode’s stellar production value, I’m excited to see how well this tale unfolds. – Leah
I’ve been waiting a while to see this adaption. After reading the manga for a while I was a bit surprised to see this get an anime, but one I welcome. The animation is great in my opinion and does a good job being similar to the manga’s style. The voices I feel fit the characters quite well and the music too seems to match well. I’m looking forward to see more later on, especially the cosplays and Marin going on about some of her favorite things. – Walter
You can watch My Dress-Up Darling on Crunchyroll.
Komi Can’t Communicate
The school’s cultural festival continues in the final episode of this season’s Komi Can’t Communicate, and with it continues Najiri’s machinations to bring Komi out of her shell. For a season cap, it was delightfully low-key, with Komi and friends touring the other classes’ booths, grabbing snacks, and overall having a good time, despite Najiri’s best attempts at putting Komi on the spot (I love them so much). We got to see a bit more of Tadano’s slow realization that he has feelings for Komi that extend beyond simple friendship, but all in all this was just a sweet, charming close to an equally enjoyable show. I’m eager to see how Tadano and Komi’s relationship continues to bloom, as well as what sort of characters will join the growing roster of weirdos who Komi calls friends. And I hope it continues to treat those with anxiety as gracefully and kindly as it has so far, because we could all use a bit more understanding toward one another. – Leah
– You can watch Komi Can’t Communicate on Netflix.
In the Land of Leadale
The start of In the Land of Leadale is pretty straight forward. A power outage causes what appears to be the end for a critically ill girl’s life, only for her to wake up in a different world. Cayna finds herself in her character’s body from her favorite MMO, along with the associated UI. The game has quite a few similarities with other series already but, continues to add to the list when we see that her character is at a pretty high level and even notes she is pretty over-powered herself. Things are not all the same, however, as it seems the world is a few hundred years later than what the game was set to be and there’s a number of changes. She starts looking to see if there are any other players out there. As a fan of Overlord these last few points are also very similar. That being said, the series does tend to lean more into being comedic, which is nice. I feel even with the somewhat already done elements it’s enjoyable enough. A criticism I guess I could hit it with is that there are a few brief scenes with CGs that are not the greatest. There is enough I believe if you aren’t too tired of some of the Isekai tropes to keep watching. – Walter
You can watch In the Land of Leadale on Crunchyroll.
What anime are you watching? Let us know in the comments!
You can read previous Week in Anime entries here!
