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Everyone’s lord and saviour Rimuru-sama has returned yet again, and this entry of Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken continues to be enjoyable despite its overall lack of narrative stakes. The characters remain just as entertaining to watch and help deliver on a well-timed arc that many previous fans of the series were most likely waiting for. Fans of the series know what to expect by now and this season makes sure not to disappoint them. Unfortunately for others who weren’t as keen on the previous seasons, many major issues remain as the show continues to play into its strengths rather than improve upon its weaknesses.

This ... entry of Tensei Shitara knows it’s largest audience well. We get to see more one-sided battles from our carefree, overpowered protagonist, Rimuru, while all his friends are off engaging in their own rather insignificant battles. Under most circumstances the repeated lack of stakes would’ve resulted in a stale or boring story, however, Tensei Shitara manages to weasel its way out of any feeling of repetition through entertaining characters and a story structure that keeps you engaged. Plot points hinted at in previous seasons are delivered on and more plot points are set up for future developments. It keeps fans wanting more while making sure the current arc is interesting, and this continues to pay off greatly as the show progresses. There are numerous obstacles and antagonists, new and old, so don’t expect it to run out of ideas anytime soon.

This season focuses a lot more on the demon lords, Clayman and his army in particular, and it was a good change of pace that resolved many issues brought in in previous arcs. It’s properly built up with numerous scenes of Clayman that allow the viewer to have become familiar with him as an antagonist by the end of the season. He can be pretty underwhelming at times though, and a more competent villain would’ve been much better for the series. This gets more evident the more the season progresses. The arc is wrapped up nicely in the twelve episodes though, with a satisfying conclusion to all the plot points it tackled. Other demon lords are also introduced, with some maintaining an aura of uncertainty around them adding a slight layer of unpredictability to the story.

The exceptionally large number of characters continues to increase whilst quite honestly being one of the few things keeping the anime from dropping in entertainment value. You can expect to see previously introduced characters return, each one of them adding to the story in some way. Multiple new characters are introduced to set up for future arcs and there are only a select few characters introduced that seem to add no real value to the story whatsoever. At some points the number of characters can seem too large, with the series struggling to give enough screentime to them all. It’s forced to throw in a few random battles to make sure every character is doing something. While the fights were still entertaining to watch they can feel rather meaningless when looking back on the season as a whole.

Although the large cast of characters keep on providing a fun and refreshing feel to the show there is still a noticeable lack of proper character development. All the major events that happen seem to barely phase any characters involved and by the end of the season they’re practically the same people they were at the beginning of it. Every event and battle just happens to play out in a way that leaves every character in great condition by the end of it. The events of Part One practically confirmed that you won’t have to worry about anything bad happening to the characters. Character development was never a goal for this series, this has been obvious since the first season, and it continues to prioritise fun and entertaining characters over more thought-out ones.

Tensei Shitara has always had a slight focus on fantasy politics and this is now true more than ever. It makes sure you know this as well, with multiple episodes in a row being dedicated to having the characters sit in a circle and talk about… something. I’m not going to try and convince you that the political aspects of this season are particularly well thought out or complicated when they honestly aren’t. However, I can say that it was surprisingly easy to follow and digest, and the characters and dialogue made sure it never felt like it was wasting my time. There were genuinely comedic moments thrown in that helped stop making any long scenes of exposition from becoming uninteresting. Things like the relationships and conflicts between nations are explained well through dialogue rather than a narrator, which is just one small thing the series does that increases my appreciation for it. Tensei Slime never tries to be a complicated story and is able to clearly explain its world to the audience thanks to this.

Visuals-wise the series maintains the quality seen in previous seasons. The animation gets the job done, with fight scenes being neither great nor bad. All the different races occasionally provide unique fight scenes that I think the animators do a fine job of showcasing. Some outfit changes such as Rimuru’s now all-black clothes added a sense of individuality to the season which was nice. The soundtrack was decent enough and went along well with whatever was taking place in the scene. Various sound effects stood out during fight scenes, for example certain abilities would leave a lasting impression thanks to the booming audio that went with them. The opening was great, standing out from previous ones it’s with English lyrics, something that is always refreshing to see.

Anyone who’s seen previous seasons knows what to expect by now. This season of Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken show manages to meet expectations while delivering on an arc that has been built up in previous seasons, giving more of the same without the story ever dropping off in quality. It’s still a power fantasy through and through, but it’s an entertaining one in the end.

Between the good anime and the enjoyably bad anime sit the ones that are unremarkable in every way, and you can’t help but wish you hadn’t wasted your time watching it. The Detective is Already Dead fits this role perfectly. With one-dimensional characters, an unengaging story, and plain awful visuals, there is next to no praise that can be given for the series. Don’t worry though, as it makes up for this by making sure there’s at least one cute girl in every scene.

There is an abundance of poorly directed scenes that lack the intended impact that they were going for. The moments that are ... supposed to feel emotional will feel no different from every other scene. This is due to a number of reasons but ultimately comes down to the flat characters and their lackluster responses to anything that happens. The art and animation quality doesn’t help either when every character is awkwardly placed in a scene with a blank expression. As a viewer, you don’t know what you’re supposed to feel at a scene because it never gives you a good reason to feel a certain way. All it does is chuck in a couple of potentially sad scenes without using proper visual techniques to back it up.

You might’ve noticed a certain mystery tag on the show but don’t be fooled, there are essentially no mystery elements to be found. I’m not even sure if Mystery was supposed to be a major aspect of the plot, but when mysteries are present they are handled terribly. In most good mystery anime, you'll find that it engages you with foreshadowing, hints at a greater narrative, and an exciting sense of discovery. The best part of mysteries is when you feel as though you are figuring out the plot right along with the characters. This anime, however, makes no attempt at the aforementioned techniques. Instead of uncovering the plot with the characters, you will be stuck watching as the main character figures things on his own with no explanation to the viewer. Then, once the whole “mystery” is over he will explain it all in one big long scene of boring dialogue. The foreshadowing is atrocious, and the only purpose mystery serves is to make our main character look all clever by the end of it. I’m not kidding when I say one episode of Scooby-Doo would have better mysteries than what this show tries to do.

The characters were particularly frustrating throughout the show, including everyone’s beloved white-haired waifu, Siesta. I felt physical pain every time there was attempted humour in the dialogue. It’s obvious what they were going for with the main character’s deadpan reactions and Siesta’s typical kuudere bluntness, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a worse attempt at it. The dialogue aims to be clever but never achieves more than being flat and unfunny. While I can at least give credit for the attempts at fun dialogue for the main duo, the rest of the characters are simply boring. It amounts to nothing more than some basic personalities slapped onto a generic character design. I find it amazing that they can describe the main character as ‘forgettable’ throughout the show and not wonder if having a forgettable main character is actually a bad thing.

Of course, these major issues don’t matter when there are some cute girls in the show. While going about defeating the big bad organization the main character manages to get several cute girls on his side to help him fight his battles. In fact, he’s so good at attracting cute girls that there isn’t a single other male character that isn’t on the side of the antagonists. I feel like this would be a given at this point, but don’t expect any sort of character development. Even after a character's death, which is so major that they included it in the title, we don’t get to see any characters attempt to cope with it. Instead they just sort of go on about their lives and all is okay right after a time skip.

There are times where the writing in this series can feel even childish. Take the antagonistic force for example, it’s nothing more than a generic evil organization given the name ‘SPES.’ Things like the motives and ideologies of the organization aren’t clearly explained and the representatives of the organization are your average bad guys. It’s unable to challenge the views of the protagonist, only seeking to end the world. It would’ve been much better if it stuck to one clear villain that can properly conflict with the protagonist’s own motives and world views. The series thinks up one cool scenario, such as a plane hijacking for an opening episode, and never uses it to its advantage.

If you were hoping for visuals to make up for this prepare to be disappointed. Some people may view the quality to be acceptable, especially after an okay first episode, but you can easily see it drop right from the second episode. For starters, I couldn’t help but notice that most scenes would just leave out crowds from backgrounds making the whole show feel isolated. Movement is stiff and the fight scenes avoid movement as much as possible, just throwing in still shots of characters talking rather than fighting. The expressions fail to give a good impression of a character's feelings and are never more detailed than the average wide-eyes shocked face. As far as soundtracks go this one was unimpressive and forgettable. It never quite matched the scene and added little value to the show as a whole. I might just be nitpicking here, but there was a noticeable amount of sound effects missing that the show needed. Scenes felt quiet because of this and were unable to really stick out as something important.

The Detective is Already Dead is awful in every way possible. It calls itself a mystery yet fails to actually provide engaging mysteries. The characters are nothing new, though I can guarantee that people will watch this for the sole purpose of seeing more Siesta. On top of this, it doesn’t even have good visuals or soundtracks to back it up. It’s what happens when a studio has no sense of direction or time management, only seeking to capitalize on a popular light novel, and I would recommend staying clear of it if you value your time.

Studio Bones are continuing to do what they do best, this time following a pretty-boy vampire and a pretty-boy human as they explore 19th century Paris engaging in all kinds of conflicts. The Case Study of Vanitas had its own style while also maintaining a steady narrative, and it’s safe to say it was a good addition to a rather lackluster season of anime.

The story doesn’t start overly complicated, and some people may be turned off by how it can all just feel like a bunch of characters speaking fancily to each other. This will somewhat fix itself overtime as more narrative stakes are introduced ... and you get a better understanding of where the story is heading. It isn’t afraid to blend dark moments in with cheerful ones, and this does a great job at keeping you invested in the story while keeping character interactions fun and entertaining. There are some cases where this can mean that the mood of a scene doesn’t match the events, but it will be fine for the most part. It’s pretty apparent that the anime will take on more darker themes as it progresses, but it’s gradually introduced in a way that never feels forced or unfitting.

The pacing of Vanitas and its arcs is handled well, never drawing scenes out longer than necessary and always making progress with each episode. It’s capable of including meaningful flashbacks without taking up an entire episode. Characters are introduced at a steady pace, allowing for a decently sized cast without overloading the series with too many characters. There is room left for development in later seasons and I can easily see it improving from where it left off. Of course, it’s not all perfect. There was one particular arc in the latter half that was significantly worse than the others, however my thoughts on it are still overall positive.

The world that Vanitas takes place in built upon with each episode, and this is done with visuals, saving the viewer from having to deal with unnecessary narrations. From the outfits to the architecture Vanitas succeeds in creating its own version of 19th Century Paris, making sure you are pulled in with its settings and backgrounds. The usage of lighting and the color choices also make the world stand out all the more. Hell, it manages to do a great job at introducing you to the setting through the opening alone, even if it is all just tourist attractions. The setting isn’t all for show either. Characters are constantly interacting with the world in ways you wouldn’t find in many other anime. It’s always pretty cool seeing characters run across some European 1800’s style buildings.

The Case Study of Vanitas seems to pride itself on its characters, particularly the main duo, and while they do make the series enjoyable, I found them to be quite shallow at times. There’s almost no depth to majority of the cast despite desperate efforts to make it seem like there is. It seems to think that having one scene of a character gazing off into the distance suddenly makes them all deep and filled with characterization. In reality it’s more just attempt to make the boys look hot and gain attention from fans of the series. You can dig deeper into the characters and their relationships all you like but it will never be anything more than fake characters only written to look complicated on the surface. With that out the way, I will say that what was lost in character depth was made up for with clever and overall entertaining character interactions and dialogue. They were written with the intention of becoming fan favorites, and proper characterization was lost as a result of this.

There are no points in Vanitas where I can say the art or animation really went above and beyond. The fight scenes were considerably average, especially coming from Bones who are known for these kinds of shows. Some animation can feel stiff and jagged, but unless you are paying close attention to the art it won’t diminish your enjoyment whatsoever. The character designs are good and recognizable, further giving the series its own sense of individuality when compared to other vampire anime. The soundtrack is really solid and manages to add to the overall value of the series. The opening is memorable, and the ending was my favorite one of the season. The OSTs also do a fantastic job at encapsulating the feeling that the show was going for.

There are people who will be all over The Case Study of Vanitas due to the engaging setting and characters, and there will be others who dislike it for the overall lack of depth and development. The series would have benefitted a lot from better exploring its characters rather than have them only exist to be pretty and mysterious. Regardless of its flaws it is well paced, enjoyable, and overall a series I would recommend to anyone who sees themselves enjoying similar anime with some fun characters and a story that isn’t afraid to get dark at times and go beyond what you might expect.

If you want a short, experimental anime that you can watch in one sitting then this is it. It’s stylish with unique visuals and songs, and isn’t afraid to use these to its advantage when tackling its themes. It only gets better and better as it goes with a gradual transition into a darker tone.

Artiswitch is ultimately about wishes and their consequences, both good and bad. It’s not the typical “be careful what you wish for,” type moral either. It boils down to what the character themselves wished for in order to be happy, and this is shown through both simple and extreme wishes. It ... leaves a lot up to the viewer to decide on, never outright stating the outcome of a wish as being right or wrong. It never comes across as pretentious either, with many of the issues raised being able to be tied back to real-life situations.

The CGI might not be for everyone, but it allowed for flexible animation and a number of visually impressive scenes when mixed with varying imagery and backgrounds. You can see the animators really using the CGI to their advantage and it pays off. Each episode brings something new to the visuals, and each one is great in its own way. It isn’t afraid to get experimental, and it pays off brilliantly. There is a decent amount of symbolism, and the visuals aren’t all for show. You can look into any episode and find a number of clever visual tricks that match the thoughts and feelings of each character. The music in each episode is just as great. You should’ve seen my surprise when they had a damn Moe Shop song start playing in episode 4.

Overall, Artiswitch far exceeded my expectations. I went in completely blind and by the end of the second episode I was really impressed by everything it offered. Anyone stumbling across this like I did should check it out, at least until the fourth episode. The 8-minute episodes make it easy to consume and it is always straight to the point without ever feeling rushed.

8/10 – I would highly recommend watching it at least for the unique experience it offers.

To Your Eternity is not a great anime, nor is it necessarily a bad one. It’s stuck at an awkward in between, with interesting themes and a refreshing story being weighed down by clumsy and often boring writing. The blend of adventure and drama sets it apart from other anime like it, and as disappointing as some moments in the series can be you can understand why many people will find them emotional.

There are three main arcs throughout the 20 episodes, four if you count the first episode. Each one offers a new cast with new experiences for our immortal main character, Fushi. On their ... own the arcs aren’t bad, however after watching them back-to-back you will simply stop caring. The fact that the cast is always changing means you won’t be with any long enough to care about what happens, and the ones you do find yourself caring about are quickly forgotten as a new cast and setting is shoved in your face. Any sense of emotion or excitement offered by the first episode loses its touch almost instantly. You already know that something bad is going to happen everywhere Fushi goes, and it becomes a matter of when the bad thing happens rather than what will happen. Now this predictability on its own isn’t a bad thing. If it is backed up by interesting and planned out characters, it won’t matter how unoriginal the actual scenarios are. The thing is though, every single character throughout the show is flat, bland, and honestly just plain boring to watch. It’s like the writer imagined one specific sad scenario in their head and ran away with it, forgetting the very basics of what makes a story interesting and engaging. It takes multiple episodes to get to an overall underwhelming outcome, and this repeats itself for three whole arcs. I’ll repeat myself here, at some point in the series you will simply stop caring.

One thing I can give it credit for is how the growth of Fushi is shown. It honestly feels like with each new episode and event Fushi grows in some way, and these additions to his character will impact how he acts and speaks onwards. It never feels like he hits a wall with character development, and it is much more interesting watching Fushi grow than a typical melodrama character. There is obvious planning and care behind his character, and you can see it greatly pay off in the long run.

Now onto what I would consider the worst part of the whole series, the “antagonist,” though I would probably describe as more of a mindless opposing force. It is introduced as a mysterious entity that interrupts Fushi’s adventures and forces him to grow stronger. Great right? Now there is something to move the plot along provide areas for character growth. Except that that’s all there is to it. Every time this mysterious opposing force appeared I wanted to groan. There is obviously something more to it, this is made obvious early into the series. Don’t expect find out what though, the show is too busy dabbling with other ideas to expand on it at all during the 20 episodes. Thankfully, there is a human antagonist with a bit more personality and depth. They’re still messily written but for what it’s worth the episodes that they appeared in were some of the most engaging for me. If it wasn’t for their awkward placement in and out of certain arcs, they probably would’ve been the highlight of the series.

I tend not to worry about art or sound too much, but I think Brains Base did a solid job with both and I have no major issues. That said, there are no real times where either of these will stand out and leave a lasting impression. The visuals and audio are just consistently good throughout all 20 episodes.

Overall, I think To Your Eternity does a good job at experimenting with and expressing its themes and ideas, especially surrounding mortality and what it means to be human. If it wasn’t for the repetitive and disconnected plot as well as the poor character writing this series could have easily been around an 8/10. I would recommend at least giving the anime a try, though be prepared for the plot to become predictable and repetitive straight from the very first episode.