Another anime season is upon us, and that means it’s time once again for our first impressions series here at Beneath the Tangles. Over the next several weeks, our writers will be sampling a wide range of new and returning shows and sharing their early thoughts—what excites us, what surprises us, and what might be worth adding to your watchlist.

Technically, the season has already begun. A few series have slipped out ahead of the main rush, including STEEL BALL RUN: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure and the wonderfully bizarre Rooster Fighter, the latter of which we’ve already written a first impression about on the site. But in truth, the spring lineup will arrive in full force very soon, when dozens of premieres begin dropping all at once.

And it’s shaping up to be a fascinating season. Several major franchises return with new installments, including The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten Season 2, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 4, Classroom of the Elite 4th Season: Second Year, First Semester, Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- Season 4, and Rent-a-Girlfriend Season 5. Whether you’re here for cozy romance, sprawling fantasy worlds, or the ever-chaotic drama of high school social politics, spring has plenty to offer longtime fans.

But as always, the most exciting part of a new season might be discovering new stories. We’re especially eager to see how Witch Hat Atelier adapts its beloved manga, while titles like I Made Friends with the Second Prettiest Girl in My Class, I Want to End This Love Game, and Gals Can’t Be Kind to Otaku!? promise a variety of rom-com dynamics for viewers who enjoy relationship-driven narratives. Meanwhile, adaptations such as Ascendance of a Bookworm: Adopted Daughter of an Archduke, Agents of the Four Seasons: Dance of Spring, and Even a Replica Can Fall in Love bring popular light novels to the screen.

Spring also brings a slate of intriguing and sometimes unusual newcomers. Series like NEEDY GIRL OVERDOSE, KILL BLUE, SNOWBALL EARTH, MAO, Akane-banashi, and The Drops of God hint at stories that range from dramatic and introspective to offbeat and experimental. As always, some will become instant favorites, others will surprise us in pleasant ways, and a few may simply leave us scratching our heads.

Below, you’ll find our writers’ first impressions of several of these new anime as the season gets underway. Some shows have already premiered, others are just around the corner—but together they offer a glimpse at what promises to be another lively season of anime watching.

Agents of the Four Seasons: Dance of Spring • The Food Diary of Miss Maid • Rooster Fighter • The Strongest Job Is Apparently Not a Hero or a Sage, but an Appraiser (Provisional)!

Agents of the Four Seasons: Dance of Spring

First Impression: twwk

The Food Diary of Miss Maid is supposed to be a yummy, cute culinary adventure, and while the food is yummy to look at—and I picked up a few things about the items (episode one was divided into five portions, one for each food that Suzume ate)—there’s just not much here to keep one’s attention. In short, it was very boring. Suzume is cute and earnest, but the writing isn’t sharp or interesting enough to make her a compelling character. Compare her to Mukuoda from Campfire Cooking in Another World and his sharp tongue, for instance, or to any of the girls from Laid-Back Camp, who are just so full of life and so funny, and you wonder…where’s Suzume’s personality? I literally started falling asleep during the episode.

Read More

Streaming on Crunchyroll.

---

The Food Diary of Miss Maid

First Impression: twwk

The animation is absolutely gorgeous, a necessary condition for a series that will bask in the beauty of the seasons. There’s a hand-drawn quality to the characters, joined by breathtaking background art. The story promises something moving and epic, but in episode one, the emphasis is on the last few minutes (minor spoilers ahead): Hinagiku performing the rites to bring spring to Mt. Ryugu. The short scene is absolutely gorgeous, full of vibrant colors, wonderful shots of scenery, and striking transitions. Hinagiku sings a beautiful melody while performing the rite as well; it’s an incredible musical interlude that brings to mind the climactic scenes of Weathering With You or the Forest Spirit’s first appearance in Princess Mononoke.

Read More

Streaming on Crunchyroll.

---

Rooster Fighter

First Impression: twwk

…I’m not sure this silly show really works with the heart it’s trying to convey; while the rooster is a good character, one that’s easy to root for, I’m not sure I really care much about his quest or the people around him. The jokes are up and down, too; I was not amused, for instance, by the sex scene near the beginning of the episode (yep, really—and with lots of sound effects). And ultimately, it’s tough for a series like this to keep the momentum going over time (see One Punch Man). And if your opening episode isn’t pure delight—and Rooster Fighter’s initial offering is more of a C+ or B- for me—you hardly stand a chance at making a series that’s basically a one-trick pony (er, rooster) into something great.

Read More

Streaming on Hulu.

---

The Strongest Job Is Apparently Not a Hero or a Sage, but an Appraiser (Provisional)!

First Impression: Jeskai

Blah. Bleh. Are you an incredibly tasteless schlub eager to waste your time watching an incredibly generic isekai, with an incredibly pointlessly long title, plus an incredibly bland protagonist, with incredibly tacky fanservice, all foisted upon you with incredibly average animation? If so, have I got great news for you! Otherwise, this is a definite skip. The show would be bad on its own, but then it feels obliged to leer incessantly at Emalia’s breasts, making the whole thing feel kind of gross. There’s no sign of a clever twist, nothing special about the characters teased at the end, the whole episode is just creepy fanservice and boundless mediocrity. Please, trust me on this and skip the show. It’s trash.

Read More

Streaming on Crunchyroll.