this post was submitted on 29 Mar 2026
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Anime & Donghua

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What have you been reading/watching recently? [Anime - April 2026] (hexbear.net)
submitted 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) by Gosplan14_the_Third@hexbear.net to c/anime@hexbear.net
19 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Manga:

As usual, GTO and Inari Konkon. I have reached another Tomoko arc in GTO, which were always the worst in the anime, because of how mean spirited, and outright ableist it was to her. On the other hand, I am starting to approach the stuff that the Anime didn't include.

Also my God is it terrible to look for interesting manga. r/manga is a place that vastly prefers horny generic slop to actually good writing, and the lack of alternative spaces for nerds baffles me.

Anime:

I have finished The Twelve Kingdoms. It was good. Space Battleship Yamato is a show I have already seen the remake of, and is good in its original version too.

Sailor Moon S is very gay. I knew it had a bit of a reputation, but it's more than I expected. Slightly less gay is Cardcaptor Sakura, another very good magical girl show.

I am almost done with Season 1 of You're Under Arrest!. The most recent arc was a romance one between one of the main cast characters and a newcomer written basically only for the role of being appealing to that one character. Disappointing, but maybe it'll improve now. I'm looking forward to see what the later seasons will bring. I expect the 2001 season to be decent too, at least.

Monogatari: The more Koyomi Araragi is on screen, the worse it gets. Otherwise, it's good or even very good lol

Upcoming Anime

Surprisingly, it looks promising. Witch Hat Atelier has a really highly regarded manga, from what I know. Yomi no Tsugai is by the FMA author, and the manga was okay when I kept up with it. Kinda slow paced. Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun has a new season. That manga was fun, even though I fell behind like 70 chapters. Liar Game is a mid 2000s gambling manga, and is said to be good. I need my Kaiji fix. Akane Banashi is gonna be good. Mao isn't about the Chinese revolution, but is a Rumiko Takahashi manga adaptation. It's probably gonna be decent at least. There's a Fist of the North Star remake. Maybe I'll finally check it out... and eventually go watch the original. Nippon Sangoku has the potential to be toxic slop a la GATE.

and there's bound to be at least one good show I didn't pay attention to, or something promising that bombs hard.

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[–] Better_with_Gender@hexbear.net 2 points 22 hours ago

Manga

Been Reading Dorohedoro, collected it last year and made a decent amount through it before being interrupted. Carrying on now and being reminded why I liked it. Many chapters or 'spells' are coloured in a muted and sometimes monochrome style, it definitely fits in with the traditional black and white of manga. Also, I've enjoyed a lot of the fashion of the characters; both their individual styles but also how frequently characters are seen in different outfits. Nikaido's outfits in particular are giving me trans-butch inspiration.

Anime

Watching Shounan Bakusouzouko, 12 episode OVA series. I'm enjoying it, the episodes do flick between serious and light-hearted moments but also has a pretty anti-violence message. Though it is a pretty violent show, a lot of biker gang fights and unprovoked violence.

Blorp

Stalin showed Berserk 1997 last month. Very good show with lots of good background art and music. The show used the soundtrack pretty sparingly but generally did have the perfect effect. Putting on something of the themes to listen to in full was definitely worth it. Listening to Griffith and Guts theme along with the Earth and Forces track in full made them some favorites. The ending did feel rushed and compressed for time however.

[–] MohammedTheCommunistPalestinian@hexbear.net 5 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Liar Game is a mid 2000s gambling manga, and is said to be good.

liar game is good BUT

spoilerit has a weird portrayal of a trans character that changes for the better as the series continues but is originally problematic

idk why but later on in the series the portrayal changes for the better and they are treated by the cast as a woman (they always were but in the beginning this character had weird views about themselves)

[–] marxisthayaca@hexbear.net 8 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Surprisingly, it looks promising. Witch Hat Atelier has a really highly regarded manga

I give me wholehearted endorsement for Witch Hat Atelier. The manga is gorgeous and the themes and story is fantastic.

[–] Dort_Owl@hexbear.net 9 points 3 days ago (2 children)

I'm looking forward to the second season of Dungeon Meshi, even if I find the themes of eat or be eaten a little distasteful (haha get it?)

[–] Arahnya@hexbear.net 6 points 3 days ago

I have already read the entire manga, but I am very excited for season 2. Dungeon Meshi is a gem 💎

[–] marxisthayaca@hexbear.net 4 points 3 days ago (1 children)

It’s also the theme of consuming and desire, not just eat or be eaten.

[–] Dort_Owl@hexbear.net 3 points 3 days ago

Very true!

[–] Dessa@hexbear.net 7 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Witch Hat Atelier manga has some of the sickest art you'll see in a manga, and the story is good too. Really looking forward to the show.

Otherwise I'm just watching Frieren.

[–] barrbaric@hexbear.net 3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Manga

Read a bit more Greatest Estate Developer, it's pretty fun. Lloyd's faces are a good bit.

Chainsaw Man is over and the ending definitely doesn't land for me, but hey, if Fujimoto was bored I say let him move on. His best works are his one-shots (Goodbye Eri especially) anyway.

Other than that, keeping up with the usual, I think Kagurabachi had a pretty good month.

Anime

Finished Kaiji, holy shit season 2 suuuuuuuuuuuuucks. The pa-removed-o arc is horrendous and takes way, way, WAY too long.

Frieren S2 never hits the highs of S1 (and in particular, the first three episodes), but I've more or less given up hope it ever will. For a fantasy thing, it's fine.

Oshi No Ko S3 was pretty weak until the last episode which was very good, and I'm looking forward to the next season as well.

Golden Kamuy's Final Season is a banger week after week, and probably what I'm most looking forward to. All the setups from seasons ago are getting their payoffs, and it looks like they're going to nail the ending. Fingers crossed.

Oh yeah, also watched the Eva 30 year anniversary short. It's fine.

Other

Sadly the guy I had convinced to read Umineko stalled out in episode 3 kinzo-ohh. He didn't even meet the dolphin.

Watched S2 of Star Wars Visions with some friends and it was generally very bad, with the only real highlight being the episode done by Aardman (the Wallace and Gromit studio). I feel bad for the studio that did the claymation-inspired episode that was right before the W&G one in the order though, they got mogged.

[–] Arahnya@hexbear.net 3 points 1 day ago

haha -- for some reason, the paremovedo arc in Kaiji is really funny to me. Apparently that guy (mangaka) hangs out with some questionable dudes though.

[–] Erika3sis@hexbear.net 3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I am almost done with Season 1 of You're Under Arrest!

Incidentally, I was thinking about how I sort of missed watching YUA when I was watching the Squid Girl OVA, because of the policewoman character.

Once again I hit the max comment length, so once again I'll write a very abridged comment here and wait until someone (I think I know who) asks me to yap about my opinions on what I've seen in the past month.

Reading

I read two chapters of Handa-kun volume 1, and up to chapter 16 of The Catcher In The Rye.

I have not made any progress in Crime & Punishment. My theory studies have also fallen behind for many months now. Alas!

Watching

Alone, I finished watching Tesagure! Bukatsumono, except I skipped episode 2. I'm continuing Tokyo Mew Mew and Maison Ikkoku. May or may not have watched some more Avatar: The Last Airbender in the past month but I'm not really keeping track.

With my mom I saw the Evangelion 30th anniversary special and finished the Squid Girl OVA. We've made no progress in Steins;Gate. We're continuing Sailor Moon R, Serial Experiments Lain, Ojamajo Doremi, Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated, Furuhata Ninzaburô, and Kodocha.

With @AernaLingus@hexbear.net I finished New Game!! and tried Watamote. I had mixed feelings about Watamote so we're going to try The Idolmaster next and see if it's a bigger hit.

Blorping

I'm still showing Fireman Sam, Turnabout Storm and Magic Heart and the Magical Warriors. I also showed My Little Pony: A New Generation and the MLP:FiM x PPG fan crossover "Double Rainboom", and the Dagian Drupe fanime Welcome to the Panties Warfront and Rebels Against The School (RATS).

Clara is still showing Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt. Cuban showed Cybersix, but I only caught parts of it. Garg is still showing Magic Knight Rayearth but I'm giving up on it. Garg and Cuban also presented the Cuban animated short "Nvula" which was a good thing to see. Stalin is showing Spawn: The Animated Series but I only saw a few minutes of it. Lemgra showed the first half of Tatsuki Fujimoto 17-26 earlier tonight, and although I skipped the fourth episode for gore reasons, I'm still going to join the blorpers next Sunday to catch the episode "Woke-Up-as-a-Girl Syndrome".

[–] jackmaoist@hexbear.net 5 points 3 days ago

I thought I was watching Steel Ball Run but Netflix has decided to cockblock me.

Other than that I just finished many of last season's anime and here's what I recommend:

  1. Sentenced to be a Hero

Dark Fantasy Setting and a very interesting plot. The first episode was basically a movie and the quality has been consistent since then. The finale was amazing and has me hooked.

  1. Jujutsu Kaisen

The finale was simply amazing. It was pure eye candy and this goes for a lot of this season. The fights in the Culling games are really well written and it only gets better.

  1. Fate Strange Fake

This is the ultimate fanservice anime for Fate Fans. A-1 nailed the animation and tone and it's easily on par with Ufotable Fate. Loved the season so far and am looking forward to more. The finale was amazing.

  1. Frieren

This season was not as good as Season 1 and barely had 2-3 interesting episodes. Didn't enjoy it as much but it was still pretty good.

[–] Arahnya@hexbear.net 5 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table wrapped up! 8/10 for me personally. They used the nighthawk as a story element, which led me to learning about that poem. And how that poem is also in chainsaw man.

death games spoilers

So the light novelist wrote this story about his own depression and the roles in our lives under capitalism (not specifically under capitalism, but that's my reading) and basically the character finds a sense of freedom by choosing the way that she would die by choosing to risk her life in the games.

The show is very dreamlike and metaphorical, in the sense that, for one -- the timeline is disjointed. And also that there are open ended plot lines that don't seem to be resolved, such as her talking to someone who wants to end the games and taking a pill in order to go along with that. This could be something I'm not fully understanding though.

I really like the etherealness, the silence, the zooming out and showing less detailed moments. The symbolism of the fluff. The subtle (and unsubtle) lesbian undertones.

I didn't realize what the poem of the nighthawk was, or that it was famous or had ties to Buddhism. Basically, a side character's arc revolves around this poem, who dies within the game. The main character seems to reflect a part of the poem as well, and in my opinion, ties back to the writers' expression of depression

Chainsaw Man

OK, I said I liked the ending. Now that time has passed, I like it even more. 9/10 (honestly a 10/10 in my heart, but minus onepoint for some critisisms)

chainsaw man, spirted away, and revolutionary girl utena spoilers

I am a big fan of open and dream-like stories that have ties to Buddhism or other similar philosophies. I like cycles, I like rebirth, I like the dream of the butterfly, and the way spirited away ends with its "this happened but now everything is reset." You will remember what you have forgotten.

I didn't realize that Fujimoto had already said that he thought the nighthawk poem was very sad. I haven't really seen anyone talk about the nighthawk in regards to Asa's story, but it seems to make more sense to me as I reread the beginning part.

The story also reminds me of the Revolutionary Girl Utena ending. The way that Akio is still there, and it's Anthy who chooses to free herself. The way that Utana has to realize that "Princehood" is a trap, and is not far behind in freeing herself as well.

I had actually written a theory about chainsaw man during the period in which the house burns down. I deleted it unfortunately, but basically I had written that : I think chainsaw man is about achieving your own personal dreams, and what that is like in a sense of navigating capitalism and the expectation to want more and more. You could be making the most money you've ever made in your life and you could be miserable because your job is literally destroying you.

rereading the story, there's so much in here to reflect on and gain catharsis from.

In terms of healing and moving on from your trauma, it reads to me like... sometimes you have to leave your past behind (like fully just pretending it doesnt exist- it may as well not have happened, even though it still did) in order to fully move on. Something I have had to do since the house burning down in the story incident.

im currently watching Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic because I heard that the way it handles the politics of borders (as in the borders of nations) is very good. I am about five episodes in, and so far I do find the way it handles topics related to those to be intriguing. It does have some highly questionable caricatures and fan services. This seems to be the consensus on the series, is that it is good but not without deserved criticism.

[–] avoid_the_noid@hexbear.net 4 points 3 days ago

Finished watching Heavenly Delusion and loved it. Hooked from the first episode. Now caught up with the manga and man, good shit.

Also started watching Sonny Boy and goddamn, man. This is exactly what I want.

[–] BattleshipPokemon@hexbear.net 3 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

ive been really getting into wuthering heights lately

edit: just realised this was the anime/manga comm smh

[–] Gosplan14_the_Third@hexbear.net 4 points 3 days ago (1 children)

You can still talk about live action, no big deal

[–] BattleshipPokemon@hexbear.net 4 points 3 days ago

i meant like the classic book but yeah, its been pretty good once i looked up the actual family tree online so i could understand everyone's relations