I also debated on making a weekly list in which I update the rankings of each series from episode to episode like I did for Winter 2018, but I’ll just say that particular style isn’t for me.
That’s enough rambling from Remy, though.
BanG Dream! S2
BanG Dream! S2 scrapped the hand-drawn animation that was used in the first season in exchange for extensive use of CG. Time will tell if it’s a benefit for this franchise. Meanwhile, this second season is going to appeal more to viewers who have played the mobile game since so many other bands are brought in, but anime-only viewers can potentially follow along and enjoy the series, too.
Bermuda Triangle – Colorful Pastrale
Mermaids form an idol group. It kind of sucks, to be honest. I’m getting vibes akin to those from Idol Jihen, which also was similarly lackluster, so I’m probably going to drop this one.
Egao no Daika
I’m not a true mecha maniac, but I do dabble with the genre from time to time. So far this one is doing things right and hitting the audience hard already. I look forward to seeing how this develops.
Endro!
I think writing about the different variations of the hero-vs-demon-lord story archetype could be interesting, but it might not be as charming as this series. Ahhh, the fact that this series exists is a treasure for me. Studio Gokumi is an incredible studio and all other studios should study up and learn from the best since they alone seem so intent on churning out masterpiece after masterp– ahem.
At any rate, I’m liking Endro! a lot!
Gotoubun no Hanayome
Harem romcom involving quintuplets. You either like it or you don’t. My brother is personally obsessed with the original source material so I’m giving this one a shot.
Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai
A studious boy and a girl who’s basically a prodigy fall in love with each other…except neither wants to confess so both of them attempt to trick the other into doing so.
I’m a fan of the original source material, but the way they handled the large amount of narration…well, it’s one of the flaws of anime but they didn’t do a good job and as a result the narrator eclipses both of the main characters (along with the popular side characters who were introduced in this episode). It’s a lose-lose situation since the original source material does contain just as much narration, but when it’s read out loud for the viewer like that, it’s just grating. I would recommend just sticking to the manga and ignoring the anime adaptation.
Kouya no Kotobuki Hikoutai
Girls fly airplanes and shoot down other airplanes. Lots of CG, particularly for the girls and the planes, but there’s also some “2d animation” (that is reserved primarily for men). The girls got personality and the aerial dogfights are intense, so why not?
Mahou Shoujo Tokushushen Asuka
Now this is a series that knows how to be upfront with gore and disturbing elements without being blatantly reaching for the shock factor (much unlike a certain other magical girl show from last year). I’m very interested in seeing what’s going to happen from here on out!
Pastel Memories
In a world where otaku culture is largely in decline, 12 girls run a cafe and also travel into manga worlds to fight off viruses that try to negatively affect said worlds. There are plenty of references to be found and the second episode is a humongous homage to Gochoumon wa Usagi Desu ka? but I’m not sure if the anime is worth watching just for parodies…
Watashi ni Tenshi ga Maiorita!
Basically UzaMaid 2.0. I’m not complaining since it’s a funny show, but it does feature an predatory onee-san who is into a young girl.
The Lily Garden 
Looks like we’ll have anywhere from 1-3 in common here. I really enjoyed the first episode of Quints (my second-favorite premiere of the season after Dororo), and also the first episode of Kaguya had me laughing a lot despite the narrator, so I’m fully on board with those two for now. I’m still planning to watch the first episode of Asuka either tonight or tomorrow; that’s the only premiere I want to see that I still haven’t gotten to yet.
LikeLike
Oooh, glad to hear we’ll have some shows in common. Hopefully you’re still liking Quints and Kaguya. Did you end up liking Asuka?
LikeLike
Oh, definitely – those are both keepers as long as they don’t screw up. Asuka is entertaining, and I’m definitely intrigued enough to keep watching, but it’s still too early to say if I “like” it or not. I’m waiting to see what other cards it puts on the table.
LikeLike
We’ve got a few in common – gonna be fun to bounce off of each other!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ll probably end up bouncing against you(r posts) since I’m not strong enough to keep up a weekly watching post, but I think it will be!
LikeLiked by 1 person
@Bang Dream 2: I dropped season 1 (not because it was bad; I can’t remember why – bad time slot?), so I wasn’t going to pick this up in the first place, but CGI dropped my motivation even deeper. My motivation was in the cellar already, so I had to dig a hole. Oh well, there I go.
@Bermuda Triangle: Yeah, that was pretty bad. But I find myself slightly charmed. I’ll see how far this will take me, but it’s near the top of my list of shows likely to be dropped. (I did wonder whether the town was supposed to be called “Pearl” rather then “Parrel” or whatever else they romanised this as. Not sure, though.)
@Egao no Daika: Not sure about this. It’s sort of interesting, but also sort of clumsy. Wait and see.
@Endro: Good fun. I’m not quite as fond of it as you seem to be, but close enough. Also, Gokumi is one of my favourite studios so the show gets a bonus from that alone.
@Gotoubun no Hanayome: Also good fun. Not much else to say about this.
@Kaguya-sama: I love the show, with the exception of the narrator whom I hate. I hope he’ll fade, or calm down; it’s going to be tough going otherwise. I like the show enough to bear him throughout the show’s run, but if the quality should decline, or if the skits come with diminishing returns, the narrator might well be the tipping point. Unliekly to be dropped, but if it’s because of the narrator.
@Kotobuki: Dropped after the CGI got on my nerves. But I’m already itching to pick it back up again. I like the show’s feel. Practically the only thing I don’t like is the CGI. Problem is: during flight scenes this might trigger my motion sickness, so even if I pick it up again, I might end up dropping it again. So frustrating.
@Asuka: First episode was pretty good, despite me rolling my eyes at the sort of over-done grim-dark tone. Villains at the end don’t inspire confidence. We’ll see.
@Pastel Memories: Most boring premier of the season. Dropped not even half-way through.
@Tenshi: Remember when I said UsaMaid was both more open and less indulgent than other shows of its kind? I meant shows like this. I find this way more creepy than UsaMaid. At the same time, I like the style, and its a hold-out for pretty water-colour animation, which is worth a lot in todays overly glossy and occasionally CGI-reflective anime landscape. I’ll stick with it for now, but if the story’s celebrating that a loner isn’t shy around kids since they’re a rung lower on the social scale… I don’t want to drop this, but it might be a struggle.
For me, the best premiers so far were Dororo and Mob Psycho 100 2. I also like the writer/cat show (but the combination was irresistable from the get go).
LikeLike
Ah, well, I’m not being won over by Bang Dream 2 right now either. It wasn’t exactly my favourite show back when season 1 aired, though. Can’t say you’re really missing out.
You’re a braver soul than me in regards to Bermuda Triangle. Maybe one day the city will be called by the right name!
I’m finding the direction Egao no Daika is taking by episode 3 to be quite good. Yet another war is bad narrative but I’m also a fan of morally ambiguous situations.
That’s fair. I did overreact a bit! I’m still excited about Endro, though.
I’m watching Gotoubun no Hanayome with my brother who is more obsessed with the manga, but he didn’t feel like watching it this weekend so I’m stuck in a bad spot. But yeah, at least the MC has personality compared to other typical harem rom-com protagonists.
The narrator in Kaguya-sama is a troubling presence.
Ah, that’s a tough spot for Kotobuki. I don’t think it’s a bad show but you’ve listed solid reasons regarding why you dropped it initially.
I think they handled the dark tone in Asuka more gracefully than Mahou Shoujo Site. You’re definitely right about the shaky status of the villains, though.
I don’t blame you one bit for feeling that way towards Pastel Memories. I’m very close to dropping it myself.
That’s fair about Tenshi.
Ah, alas, I can’t talk about either Dororo or Mob Psycho 100 2 given how I haven’t watched either show. The cat show does sound fun, haha.
LikeLike
@Bermuda Triangle: It’s got its charms, but it’s one of the shoddiest productions I’ve seen in a while. With regards to the city’s name, throughout ep2 I was listening for the name, and I had all but convinced myself that I was wrong about it being called “Pearl”, with them clearly saying “Paareru”, with an unusual emphasis on the “e”, and then they read in the libarery that the city’s named after some sort of pearl, and now I’m torn on this topic. (It’s sort of sad that that’s what interests me most about the show.) I do like the show, though. It may be bad, but it feels genuine.
@Endro: Not sure you over-reacted. Episode 2 was hilarious to an extent I didn’t expect.
LikeLike