Kaiseki Anime Podcast Episode 146 – Spring 2024 Season First Impressions

Timestamps

• 0:00:00 Intro

Trash/Dropped

• 0:01:05 The Banished Former Hero Lives as He Pleases
• 0:02:44 Gods’ Games We Play
• 0:03:56 HIGHSPEED Étoile
• 0:05:03 Himitsu no AiPri
• 0:05:58 The Irregular at Magic High School Season 3 (Mahouka S3)
• 0:06:56 Rinkai!
• 0:07:52 Shinkalion: Change the World
• 0:08:45 Studio Apartment, Good Lighting, Angel Included
• 0:10:09 Tonbo!
• 0:11:10 TOUKEN RANBU KAI KYODEN
• 0:12:22 Viral Hit

Mediocre/Undecided

• 0:13:36 An Archdemon’s Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride
• 0:15:03 As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I’ll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World
• 0:16:50 BARTENDER Glass of God
• 0:19:31 Blue Archive The Animation
• 0:20:21 Chillin’ in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers
• 0:21:52 The Fable
• 0:23:03 Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again
• 0:24:02 The Grimm Variations
• 0:25:13 Mission: Yozakura Family
• 0:26:18 Mysterious Disappearances
• 0:28:19 The New Gate
• 0:30:22 Re:Monster
• 0:32:03 Sand Land: The Series
• 0:33:56 Tadaima, Okaeri
• 0:37:45 That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime S3
• 0:39:19 Tonari no Yokai-san
• 0:40:09 Unnamed Memory
• 0:42:31 Vampire Dormitory
• 0:43:03 Whisper Me a Love Song
• 0:44:12 WIND BREAKER
• 0:42:26 YATAGARASU: The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master

Promising

• 0:47:05 A Condition Called Love
• 0:48:49 A Salad Bowl of Eccentrics
• 0:50:09 Date A Live V
• 0:50:35 GO! GO! Loser Ranger!
• 0:52:54 I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince So I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability
• 0:54:21 Oblivion Battery
• 0:56:45 Spice and Wolf: MERCHANT MEETS THE WISE WOLF
• 0:59:25 The Many Sides of Voice Actor Radio

Must Watch

• 1:00:43 Astro Note
• 1:01:57 Black Butler: Public School Arc
• 1:03:10 Girls Band Cry
• 1:04:47 Jellyfish Can’t Swim in the Night
• 1:05:25 Kaiju No.8
• 1:06:43 KONOSUBA -God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World! 3
• 1:08:29 Laid-Back Camp Season 3 (YuruCamp)
• 1:10:04 Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Season 2 Part 2
• 1:11:08 Sound! Euphonium 3
• 1:14:14 Train to the End of the World

Ongoing

• 1:15:53 Delicious in Dungeon
• 1:16:23 Outro

---

You can find Kaiseki Anime Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts. Subscribe to us now! Please also take a moment to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts—these reviews increase our visibility to new viewers, as well as gives us the feedback we need to improve.

If you have any questions or comments, let us know by commenting below, through Twitter with #KaisekiAnimePodcast, or on our personal Twitter accounts.

Music Credits:

• “Clover 3” by Vibe Mountain
• “Seasons” by roljui

Taste Test: Train to the End of the World

it’s all about perspective!

There were a good handful of shows I pushed to the top of my to-watch list this spring, many of which are sequels. Sure, there were some very hyped newer shows, but for the most part, nostalgia was a strong deciding factor for which shows I decided to watch first. The ones I left at the bottom were isekai, video game adaptations, and slice-of-life-girls-doing-cute-things. Hence, why Train to the End of the World was one of the later shows I picked up. I expected it to play out much like the promotional art implied, or, if things went even better, thought it might turn out like Girls’ Last Tour.

That latter optimism wasn’t inaccurate, but doesn’t go near far enough to describe the surreal nature of this show. What we have here isn’t just a group of friends literally riding a train, but also a post-apocalyptic journey with no sense of distance, time, or reality. And that’s a fantastic thing.

Taste Test: Oblivion Battery

Query: is amnesia real?

Bear with me. I’ve seen amnesia tossed around so much over the years across almost all mediums that I started to doubt the validity of the ailment. Never fear, amnesia is real and typically refers to the temporary loss of memory rather than permanent. Still, I’ve never met anyone with the condition. Have you?

I ask this because amnesia sets the stage for this season’s baseball anime: Oblivion Battery. We’ve seen so many baseball stories over the years; it’s Japan’s favorite past time, after all. Especially high school baseball. We’ve seen newbie players, mediocre players, nationals bound players, co-ed players, all-girl teams, post-apocalyptic city teams…you get the idea. Now, we have a former unbeatable battery struck down with an amnesiac catcher who once was the brains behind the unit.

Taste Test: Black Butler: Public School Arc

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw this old favorite on the spring list. Mixed feelings abounded: would this be a true continuation of everything I loved so much in the previous works, or would this follow the recent trend of beloved classics gutted into something almost unfamiliar, something worth forgetting. And when I jumped into the first episode with very little research via summaries or even video trailers, I started to fear that this “high school arc” would rewrite the history I’d loved. Was this some alternate universe where Ciel never rules his own household or secretly serves as the Queen’s guard dog?

I never should have doubted the young man, nor his butler. This was in fact not a remake erasing all that I held dear; this was another one of Ciel’s investigations with an all-encompassing reach extending to identity, setting, and cast of characters. But don’t worry, there’s still plenty of devilish work at play.

Winter 2024 Taste Test: Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki 2nd Stage

I soooo thought I was in the clear for winter 2024 anime, but then Draggle had to go and remind me that I had watched the previous seasons of Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, a fact that I’d somehow forgotten. Maybe it’s due to the forgettable title, which sounds similar to any generic isekai, or the “2nd Stage”, which I took to mean this was yet another anime’s sequel whose first season I likely hadn’t watched. Well. I’m watching it now (for real).

Winter 2024 Taste Test: Brave Bang Bravern!

You’ll have to forgive my late review on this because we have Crunchyroll to blame for the late release; they waited until the second episode had aired to make the show available for viewing. I ended up rushing through the pilot episode in preparation for Kaiseki Anime Podcast’s seasonal first impressions, which you can listen to in full next week!

I didn’t expect to have much positive to say about Brave Bang Bravern! if I’m being completely honest. Something about the title had me leaning away from it, like it would be some sequel to a franchise I wouldn’t at all find interesting. That actually didn’t end up being the case, though there does seem to be some relation to older mecha anime with their own Bravern robot. It doesn’t appear as if you need any prior knowledge of those iterations, however, so buckle in for the ride!

Winter 2024 Taste Test: Meiji Gekken: 1874

I was this close to completely overlooking this anime, which, now that I’ve seen it, might not have been such a bad thing. I don’t say that because the opening story is bad; I say that because this show isn’t really my thing. I’ve never been particularly interested in the samurai era or the warring clans that made up much of Japan’s history. This particular series actually takes place in a time period after those glorified years of honor and sacrifice. Western influences have arrived, and with them, the persistent feeling that the way of the sword that was once glorious is now a thing of the past. 

Winter 2024 Taste Test: The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash

If there’s one word to sum up my feelings regarding this anime, it’s “puzzlement.” I’m puzzled by the quality of the art and animation, the genuinely pretty styling that lends my eyes visuals pleasing enough to hold my attention despite finding the main (and only) character completely yawn-worthy.

Winter 2024 Taste Test: Snack Basue

It’s been a long time since I last entertained a slapstick comedy quite on this scale, and if it weren’t for my already packed schedule, I might actually consider watching this on the side. I do enjoy short skits of this nature, as well as character studies of the sort you see in bar-like settings. While not comedies, I’m reminded of Bartender, or Midnight Stories where we spend each episode focused on a couple of customers and their individual issues. They don’t always have happy endings, or often at all, but there’s always a lesson to be learned. Snack Basue isn’t on that sentimental wavelength; however, poking fun at visitors also serves as their kinds of lessons.

Winter 2024 Taste Test: Classroom of the Elite Season 3

Here we are, back again, with our not-so-inconspicuous protagonist, Kiyotaka Ayanokouji, and the rest of Class D. Only now they’re Class C, with new enemies and rivals eager to take them down as soon as possible. You know, the same old story.