Summer anime season has long been gone and we are now currently around the middle of the last season for the year - Fall.

Just like the previous seasons, there are a lot of shows to look forward to this time and at the top of that list is the return of long running series like Sword Art Online and the much awaited continuation of Toaru Majutsu no Index (Certain Magical Index), then there is Goblin Slayer that has been getting the hype treatment long before the season signaled the opening bell. There are also shows that has gained popularity because of memes - Zombieland Saga; and thru pervasive exposure in social media - SSSS. Gridman. The season is looking great thus far so let me share to you some of the shows that I, as an anime fan has been enjoying lately.

A friendly reminder, I am not in anyway ranking shows here but there may be times that I will voice out my personal favorites or such but that doesn’t mean that it is in any way an absolute judgment to the overall appeal of the show since I am still prone to my own bias. So with that clear let’s get this list started!

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1. SSSS. Gridman

Genres: Action, Mecha, Sci-Fi

Studio: Trigger

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I initially signed up for this one because of the prevalence of dedicated fan arts regarding one of its characters circulating around the net, so I am basically here for dem thighs but you know what? I stayed for that Trigger goodness! And dem thighs of course.

You read it right ladies and gentleman, Trigger is back again with its giant robots and no, there’s no pink haired girl here with horns and the state of the art cockpit which could be a plus or a minus depending on your affiliation but if I were to be perfectly honest, I prefer this one over the other recent mecha show that Trigger did… with the help(?) of A-1. And yes, this is coming from the guy that went here because of thighs.

Well enough of that talk with thighs and let’s get talk about the show’s premise and what made me include it in this list. If you read the first paragraph, I dropped a hint up there and that is “Trigger goodness”. What do I mean by that? If you are not new to the community, chance is you may have already stumbled upon works made by the studio and most of them share something in common - Absurdity that is fascinating to watch. Come on! We're going to combine!

The studio is known for shows that doesn’t talk about sound strategies, careful planning and other smart ass things but to compensate for that they dish out ridiculous ideas coupled with blood pumping dialogues and fist clenching duels that is of course rendered in top of the line animation sequence and finishing it with a huge blast that even big bangs would dull in comparison though in this case they resorted into using CGI, but I don’t think that poses a problem in anyway but of course I would still have preferred the traditional animation over CGI.

The characters are really likeable and at times relatable, especially when they squabble like normal teenagers does, well the main antagonist is a bit hard to gauge because it boils down to preferences but she is totally nuts on my list and the kind that I wouldn’t like to have anything to do with. The show also has good use of cicada sound and still images that makes silent scenes funny or impactful even without exerting too much effort towards that end and I am definitely loving that movie feeling that I am getting when watching the show especially when they transition from a scene to a totally different focus without losing the viewers in the process.

Almost forgot about the plot, but to make things simple this is an anime version of shows like Ultraman, Power Rangers and other hero shows that involves using mechas to fight gigantic monsters, so compared to a normal anime show, it has a charm of its own because it hits the nostalgia region real good and because it is Trigger that is at its helm, expect some thrilling fights that live action series may not be able to recreate! There’s still the thighs by the way in case you are still not sure whether to watch this or not.

By the way it has the best opening for me among the shows I have seen at least, guess that’s to be expected because of the combo of OxT and Tom-H@ck and I would probably make a separate list for theme songs when I am done with this list.

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2. Goblin Slayer

Genres: Action, Fantasy

Studio: White Fox

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Goblin Slayer, the anime that has gained popularity and infamy over social media because of its not so common take on the fantasy genre. The show has split the community that even the seasonal love/ hate for Sword Art Online seems like a trifling matter at the moment, which is good for the latter I guess.

The first episode featured a common starting point for most shows under the genre with new adventurers at the forefront and about to begin their first quest together but things are not rainbows and unicorns in here, unlike most titles with fantasy and game like settings i.e. Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo!, Isekai wa Smartphone to Tomo ni., Death March kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyusoukyoku and Isekai Maou to Shoukan Shoujo no Dorei Majutsu, this show at the onset made it clear that death, violence and other matters that may not sit well with some viewers are commonplace in the world of Goblin Slayer which was the reason why its first episode alone sparked a lot of discussions and arguments over the net, and high quality memes as well while were at it.

The succeeding episode though, mellowed the tone a little to give way for the development of our protagonist Goblin Slayer (characters are only called by their titles or aliases based on their role) which showed his childhood and the reason for his deep obsession with goblins as well as how crazy he is because he couldn’t care less about anything other than ridding the world of goblins that even if the world itself falls into ruins he won’t flinch and still kill goblins while he can.

Based on those facts, I think it is safe to assume that we would be watching Goblin Slayer slay goblins for the most part of the series and that may raise questions if the show will still be able to remain entertaining till the end if all he does is kill goblins day in day out, however I would like to think on opposite side of that thought, that is, if one could make a simple plot involving one of the “most” basic monsters in many works of fiction into an entertaining ride till the end, how much of a genius the author must be to be able to pull it off?

The show is outright excellent in portraying battles like it is in games, having diverse characters with different roles forming a party to clear dungeons, use strategies and items like potions or scrolls and cast skills by chanting spells. It is one of the remarkable shows that did this part justice and I think there are only few anyway since most care about flashiness of the scene by making over the top animation and skill effects that it doesn’t emit the same game-like feeling anymore. Well maybe that’s just me but the show deserves praise on this department to say the least.

Well promoting Goblin Slayer is a little bit hard task to do since I’ve already seen how much divided people are about this, that is to say, that this is not for everyone, but I believe that this show breathes yet another fresh air into the ever-growing catalogue of anime shows further diversifying what the medium can offer and I am not saying that it is the first anime to tackle the fatality of being an adventurer in a fantasy world, however take note that not everyone got the chance to watch or read the other titles that falls on the same category so adding one that stands at the spotlight may be an effective way of garnering more attention towards popularizing the genre even more.

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3. Irozuku Sekai no Ashita kara (IRODUKU - The World in Colors)

Genres: Drama, Magic, Romance

Studio: P.A. Works

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The first one on my list got me because of its wacky set up and absurd developments that reminded me of the enjoyment I had watching good old Trigger being totally out of sync with logic, the second one got me because of its uncommon take on one of the most popular genre today - fantasy. So what made me include this one on this list? It’s magic!

The show literally involves magic as what you can see under its genre but what I am referring to is P.A. Works’ magic to tell stories that captivates its audience. The first time I had that experience with the studio was when I watched Nagi no Asu kara, it was a roller coaster of emotion that I am considering as one of the best anime I have seen so far and I am getting that vibes from this one with its mysteriously alluring set up topped with the medium’s one of finest animations.

The studio behind it has a good track record and some of my personal favorites like Nagi no Asu kara, Shirobako, Angel Beats!, Sakura Quest and Uma Musume: Pretty Derby to name a few. They are also famous because they mostly make original anime, that is, there is no source like manga, light novel, game to which the story was based on so they are essentially spoiler free. However, making original anime is no easy feat, since it has no source, the show basically have to create its viewership from scratch which is a big gamble already on its own but the studio’s success just goes to show how they are well capable of tackling that problem head on and come out on top.

Their latest offering this season is back again with that magical feeling and I was awestruck after its first episode and I made a hasty judgment and called it anime of the season already after watching a specific scene alone. Well of course that may or may not come to pass depending on the overall performance of the show till the end but I would boldly claim now that the show's first episode is the most remarkable this season.

Enough with my partial statements and let’s go talk about the plot. The show involves magic but without a doubt, that isn’t its focus and it is just a means to its end - drama. The show already laid out an interesting premise involving time travel early in the game but this time, time travel is not being used to change an event or occurrence, it is being used to change an individual that only sees the world in monochrome and allow her to see for herself how wonderful and beautiful the world she’s living in is. I would refrain from spoiling too much but if you are in for a strong feels trip candidate this season, then I believe you've got a pretty good deal dangling in front of you right now.

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That’s all from me this week and I would probably make 2 more lists to complete my mid season list so look forward to it. Thanks to everyone who has read this far and see you again next week.

Ciao~