Are you watching Trigun (1998) or Trigun Stampede (2023)? My wife loves Trigun and we are planning on watching it soon (working through another show right now). However, she was really put off by Stampede's art style and gave it a pass.
In my opinion, Your Name is an excellent movie. I am not sure how much you know, but if possible, I would recommend going in as blind as you can. I have read some reviews that criticize the plot being convoluted or full of holes, but I feel like a lot of those come from a place of wanting to be contrarian for the sake of it. There is a reason it has 98% on RT and is #1 most popular title on AniList. Also, if you are a fan of animation as an art, the movie is absolutely gorgeous.
Enjoy!
I love the OP animation sequence. It really shows the lengths to which Rentaro will go for his family and showcases the personalities of the different girls. I had forgotten just how thirsty Hakari was in this story as it has been a little while since I read the manga (I'm not fully up to date). So far the show has done a good job capturing the absurdity of the source while retaining the wholesomeness of the interactions of our named cast of characters.
Also, the vice principal gag is really off-putting, especially when it is animated. I was not a fan of those parts of the episode. The good news is that I don't really remember her character really factoring into the story much going forward.
I really liked the manga as well and I would say it is pretty faithful to the manga in spirit. To be honest, I don't remember all the details of the early parts of the manga to tell you what exactly they may have changed here or omitted there. However, the main thing I like in this series are the characters, and they definitely embody them well. Mirika is still Mirika just like Naoya is still Naoya and everybody tends to shout everything they say just like in the manga.
I think that the show gets a lot of flak from people based on the premise/genre. But, if you liked the manga, then you would probably enjoy the show too. Just set your expectations. This isn't cinema by any means, it is a turn your brain off (just like the characters) and enjoy kind of show.
100GF is an actually great manga. Fully self aware of how absurd it is and plays it up really well to hilarious effect. What I am not sure about is how well it can be adapted to anime. I frankly think the humor won't come across as well, but am definitely going to be checking it out.
Frieren has all the markings of a great show based on the staff and the source material is truly excellent, so that is one to watch.
The last one I am going to keep an eye on is Tearmoon Empire. I haven't read it, but the LN series is very beloved.
Yeah, the anime wasn't the clearest in this regard. Since you already watched season 1, I don't feel bad writing out the explanations below, but for those that haven't seen the series yet; spoilers ahead.
Basically, Cid made up the Cult of Diabolos as a cool sounding story when he explained it to Alpha as a child. In the scene you see him grab a book and look at a bottle label. These were inspiration for the story he was making up. Specifically, there is a legend in the world of heroes that slayed the great demon Diabolos and saved humanity. Think of this legend similar to tales of the city of Troy is in our world. Achilles, Hector, etc. are mythical figures much like the heroes (like Olivier) are in that world. He made up this story featuring elements of the mythology around him because he thought it sounded cool (who wouldn't want blood of the heroes running through their veins).
What Cid didn't (still doesn't, and likely never will) realize is that there is an actual Cult of Diabolos that has exerted its influence in the background of society for ages. They conduct research on what remains of Diabolos (revealed to be Aurora the Witch of Calamity) to try to extract its power (eg. the red pills Grease and Zenon use to power up) or extend their life (the drops that the Knights of Round use). The cult uses the church as a means to gather and experiment with/exterminate all the people that show signs of possession. These individuals are the ones with the most active expression of heroes blood. Basically, possession is the result of the magically powerful heroes blood running out of control with magical energy so that the host body can't control it. When Cid or the girls cure someone of possession, it is rewriting the way their body controls magic to be able to fully harness all of that magical potential. This is one of the reasons why the Shadow Garden girls are so powerful.
So, to recap, Cid told Alpha that Diabolos placed a curse on the heroes so that their descendants suffer from possession while the Cult then experiments/disposes of the possessed. He was essentially correct, but the "curse" that Diabolos placed on the heroes was actually a result of the Cult itself experimenting with implanting Diabolos' cells in children, creating the heroes.
I thought the end of the duel was set up pretty well. We, the viewer, see Miyo earlier wanting to rush out, but is held back. Then, as the fight is about to reach its conclusion she does (appear to) rush in. When the sound of the gun went off, I fully believed it because we were already primed to expect her to rush in. The illusion was super effective (at least on me and Kudo).
Spoilerful discussion below. If you haven't read up through LN4, then proceed at your own risk (I will not discuss LN5 or mobile game only content).
Trailer discussion
If only that were the case. These .5 chapters are just the bonus chapters that are included in the physical tankoubon volumes when they come out. There is an upcoming anime adaptation to get excited about though!
Man, Mushishi was one of the very first anime I ever watched and I have been chasing that high ever since. Nothing else has really hit the same way. I tried some others that I have seen recommended (Natsume's Book of Friends, Kino's Journey), but Mushishi is truly excellent.
I had to look up Yuzuki Family as that show was not even on my radar for this season. There are so many shows coming out each season that it is hard to keep up. On the flip side, that usually means that you can always find a couple shows that really click with you each season. It certainly sounds wholesome from the synopsis. Might be one to queue up when it's been a while since I talked with my brother.