I really like that Aqua got humanized. So far he only came across as this calculating revenge machine without any human emotion. To me he's always been an unlikeable character. But showing him now actually suffering from losing his mom, makes him more likable to me. It's not nice to say "hey, I like you better with PTSD" but it is what it is.

Akane seems like a genuinely good person to me and I hope her love will be returned at some point.

As a self entitles source reader snob I often shit about anime adaptations of titles that I love. This whole arc with Abiko is so relatable, especially her hate for deviations from the source. But I will try to be less harsh in the future now that I understand better how those changes come to be.

MC is basically Yukihana Lamy from Hololive who started out like MC but dropped the good girl act after the introduction of alcohol. She has her own brand of Sake by now (which even won a bronze award at an international wine competition. I wouldn't be surprised to see something like this reflected here further down.)

Hikari is Oozora Subaru (different Gen but Hololive as well) and the game she played is a real one that Subaru played.

There are a lot of other references like the software used for example, and most likely a ton of others that I missed since I follow JP vtubers only via clip highlights or special events.

I'm unhappy with this to an absurd degree. The references clearly show that they know the scene. But why do they completely skip the whole concept of the person behind the screen being different from the character on the screen? Why do we see her vtuber model in the IRL parts? There even was the whole 3d sequence with the spinning face which was presumably designed at first to show off the IRL character looking different from the onscreen model before someone decided that the people watching are too stupid to deal with a single character having 2 completely different looks. And now we have a IRL character running around with their vtuber model looks and costume. As someone deep, deep into the vtuber rabbit hole this pisses me of more than I can put into words.

I also don't know how funny this is to someone not familiar with the people parodied here. I could imagine they will have the same experience watching this as I have watching OPM.

Always up for another bonkers comedy anime. The world needs more Hinamatsuris, Sabagebus and Asobi Asobases…

This reminds me the most of AhoGirl. I liked AhoGirl well enough but I get the feeling that this show will also be 100% carried by that single character with the rest of the cast just being there to setup gags for Deer Girl.

It's one of the better generic ones so far with very few points sticking out where someone could hit their toes. Pro: MC works for his skill and doesn't get it presented on a silver platter. Con: MC is completely dense and oblivious to his actual strength. I hope that this will resolve quickly and it won't turn out as a running-gag that overpowered MC thinks he's the weakest. I hate this trope so much.

To me, this is a desperation show. This is the show I would expect the only person to watch it is either a person with a fat fetish, or a person who has already watched literally everything else.

Yeah, but you don’t cater to people with a fat-fetish by having the plot be basically “diet and work out so you can look good again”. It’s so strange.

okay, I just have one question: Who is the target audience here? I really don’t get it. They show a naked elf but the elf looks like that. The show someone with fat-positive disposition but they fat-shame her in the plot.

I like it. I love the derpy design and I can’t wait to have those cute characters come up with fucked up traps to kill human adventurers. This is my favorite till now.

Some unsorted thoughts I had watching the first episode:

• I don't remember Aqua being so edge-lord-y. At least I wasn't annoyed by him in the first season but here I (slightly) am.
• How old is this Himekawa character? With the stubble, he looks like 30-somethings are often depicted in anime, and I'm uncomfortable with him trying to get close to Kana.
• I liked how they conveyed the impact the "good acting" had on others during the rehearsal. I thought that was a visually stunning and elegant way to bring that plot point across. Too bad that they had to go and have the characters talk about it extensively as well. It's show and tell. But I can excuse it somewhat as it is at least relevant to their motivations, but eh.. I just wish they would not spell everything out and trust in the viewer's emotional intelligence to pick up on it anyway.
• Not a fan of OP and ED songs. Both were absolute bangers in season 1, so I was hoping season 2 would deliver as well.

but to me, a human viewer, it’s somewhat disturbing however much the writer/director makes light of it.

I can't agree more. Dropped.

I believe the best starter animes must meet some criteria:

• not too long (seeing something having hundreds of episodes is a huge hurdle)
• self-contained (no spin-offs of other franchises that you need to know)
• completed (no "if you want to know how it ends you have to read the source material or hope for a second season")
• no need to know cultural references (what the fuck is a shikigami?!)
• universal themes (love, hate, friendship, hardship, etc.. Stuff that applies to everyone)
• characters should be likable (no one keeps watching if they dislike the characters)
• interesting from the start (no "uh, it gets great from the 5th episode, just keep at it")
• interesting throughout (show shouldn't fizzle out or run out of steam)
• normal visuals (yes, shows with unique art styles can feel fresh for someone with more than 1000 shows under their belt, but for a new watcher better keep it normal)
• not mundane but not too far "out there" (just the right amount of fantastical)
• no off putting material (gore, over-the-top violence, etc.)
• it should end on a positive note (I wouldn't have touched another anime ever again if Grave of the Fireflies were my first one)

With all those criteria listed, I believe the best show that ticks all the checkmarks is Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day.