I went back and checked how they did this in the manga and this episode actually ends mid-chapter (chapter 15). So, it wasn't a cliffhanger at all in the source. However, I really like how they did it in the show. The cliffhanger was really well done.

Edit: Also, yes. We have only adapted 14.5 chapters so far in 7 episodes.

This thing is an alien that has been beaten into a shape that makes it look vaguely human. But scratch it the slightest bit and the alien comes out.

This pretty much describes demons in Frieren. Different demons you have to scratch at harder than others, similar to how better AI models you have to engineer your prompts better to get it to break. The best fictional stories are the ones that can help us to better understand and contextualize the nonfiction world around us.

I haven't watched too many older shows this past week as I have been busy with work and trying to sample a lot of the new season's shows. I am still in awe of the VA work for Kotaro in Zombie Land Saga. That character is so off the rails and the voice work really lends to the air of insanity that surrounds him. Plus, it is the same CV as one of my other favorite characters, Okabe Rintaro from Steins; Gate.

As for this season's offerings, Frieren and Eminence are both really hitting for me. They are probably my favorite manga and LN series respectively, so I knew I was either going to like them or hate them, but I am so happy that the adaptations are of amazing quality. I also loved the premiere episode of 100GF, another great manga, so I am hoping that the quality stays high as I am planning on putting on episode 2 after I finish writing this post.

My wife and I started watching the new Kenshin (only two episodes in so far). We are both big fans of the original series, but the new one just isn't really doing it for us. It feels like it doesn't have the silly humor of the old series, but it doesn't compensate by doing something like upping the action sequences. It just kind of falls in this boring middle. People that have been watching it, does it get any better?

As a meta comment, I would like to thank those that have already and encourage those that haven't yet to participate in the survey about episode discussion posts. It is valuable feedback to help design the tools to help the community grow in a healthy and desirable way for us.

@N3DSdude@lemmy.ml @ram@lemmy.ca Any chance of pinning this and unpinning last week's thread?

I know AC has a reputation for being unpredictable, but I hadn't heard anything about The Kingdoms of Ruin. Surprised to see it jump out to the top of the chart like this over some big hitters (JJK, TEIS, Frieren). Time will tell how it shakes out as the season goes on.

I hadn't heard of this one before until I pulled up a page and saw it also goes by Ranger Reject, which I am aware of. I am not quite sure what to make of this one. If you read the synopsis of the source manga, it sounds like a straight-forward sentai series. However, if you read the anime synopsis, it sounds like a subversion of the genre. Might have to give this one a try when it comes out to see what the deal is.

Agreed. They certainly glided past that part of the story pretty quickly. Makes me wonder what Helck will find when he goes to where the demon king is.

The author continues to somehow raise the bar in this series every chapter. Also, I can't help but use the English title for this series.

With this chapter we have met most of the important characters for this arc. Skel and Po continue to be the most worthless characters you can imagine, but that is exactly what makes them so useful for Cid. They can be relied on for some quick funds from a poker game or a distraction so that you can cheat on your test. Like always, the gag where Cid thinks his sister is just a chuuni will never not be funny to me, especially coming from him.

Backstory dump episode for Helck this week and it looks like we are getting another next week to continue the story. Some thoughts in no particular order:

• New OP: I like this one better than the last. I wasn't expecting a new OP, so it was a surprise, but a welcome one. Also love the visuals in this one.
• We get to see Helck's brother for the first time. He seems much more like a shonen protagonist than Helck, who, even back then, was kind of a goofy kid that smiled all the time (though we did see some more emotions from kid Helck compared to adult Helck).
• Helck had awakened his hero powers as a little kid. I wonder if this is going to get explored any more.
• It seems the only time Helck's smile disappears is when Cless is in trouble. Whether that is when he was getting beaten up or sickly, those are really the only times Helck stops grinning.
• We now know why Helck is so good at construction and cooking. That is primarily what he did instead of fighting, leaving that to Cless.
• New ED: I think this one is my favorite of all the OPs and EDs this show has had.

Looks like we are getting more Helck/Cless backstory next episode. These exposition dump episodes can sometimes be a slog to get through, but I don't feel this one was too bad. We already spent so much time with the characters that we actually want to know more rather than doing two whole episodes of backstory on a character we have just met.

This manga is genuinely hilarious. The composition and character design creates such perfect visual gags in every chapter. I also never grow tired of the puns that are used liberally. This is a premise that would instantly fall flat in most author's hands. However, executed just right, with enough creativity and attention to detail, this manga treads the narrow path between too dirty and not dirty enough to create a gem.

I wasn't going to watch it either, but kept seeing great things in discussions and on lists like this so I checked it out. I have been very surprised with how much I have liked it and the animation is great. It's not the typical genre I am into, but I hope it leads to more great josei adaptations going forward as it feels underrepresented within anime.

I was surprised by this show as well. Based on the synopsis I was expecting something like a courtly romance similar to an Austen or Bronte novel (but the Japanese version of that). I was not expecting supernatural battles and family/clan warfare like it's Naruto or something. Been really enjoying it though and cannot wait for the episode each week.