Yeah, Hotaru's eyes are always like that.

I'm not going to watch all of these shows, but here are the ones at least on the radar. They're even sort of in order.

• Dagashi Kashi: The original manga about cheap ass candy is fucking delicious. I don't see how anyone could screw this up as long as the anime keeps the crazy crossed eyes and incredulous reaction faces. This is your best God damn show, right here.
• Gate: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri second cour: Yeah, I know most viewers have a fairly negative opinion of this show. I'm almost inclined to say they're opposed to it as a matter of principle because it glorifies the military, sort of like how some readers loathe Robert A. Heinlein's Starship Troopers because they find it "fascist." Whatever, man. This is some good shit.
• Aikatsu!: I only gave Aikatsu! another chance fairly recently, but I'm totally on board now. Bring on the idol activities!
• Go! Princess Precure and Mahou Tsukai Precure!: The current season will end in about a month with episode 50. I'll be sad to see it go, but the next iteration is frickin' WITCH PRECURE for crying out loud. We're there.
• Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu: I don't really know what this is about. Something about an ex-con who just wants to tell stories? In any case, it seems different, and probably won't have any of that "moé shit" people love to cry about.
• Dimension W: I'm going to watch this for Ueda Reina and the Toyota 2000GT.
• Luck & Logic: ORIKASA FUMIKO. Holy shit. Omigawa Chiaki, Kayano Ai, and Ueda Kana are in this too, as are Uesaka Sumire, Taneda Risa, Touyama Nao, and Minase Inori. I hope this doesn't turn out to be too much bullshit about the trading card game or whatever, but I'll at least give it a chance thanks to the cast.
• Akagami no Shirayuki-hime 2nd Season: I'll watch the second cour if I ever get around to finishing the first one. I stopped watching because I was tired of watching Snow White getting conveniently rescued from would-be rapists every week, but I heard the show stopped being about that.
• Detective Conan: Yep, here's my control.
• Hai to Gensou no Grimgar: Eh, it has pretty watercolors.
• Prince of Stride: Alternative. As an avid runner, I have to watch this. I'm also guaranteed to drop it in disgust the minute someone does something unrealistic, like I did after the first chapter of Suzuka.
• Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm: I know at least one person who's psyched about this, so I'll give it a try. Something about flying kids.
• Oshiete! Galko-chan: Something about three girls fucking off in class. Based on a manga which I've not read.
• Ajin: The manga is sort of interesting. Kaji Yuuki is in this, though.
• Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo!: It's DEEN, but it has girls who twist their bodies a lot, at least according to the promo art. That's something, right? Really, though, I am curious to see what Studio Deen is up to these days, and Deen is responsible for the best anime of all time. Besides, the people who were loudest at jeering, "LOL DEEN," were the ones who worshiped SHAFT until Madoka went mainstream.
• Divine Gate: I guess it would be interesting to watch TWO shows called Gate in the same season, right? Besides, Ito Kanae is in this.
• Saijaku Muhai no Bahamut: I really wish this would have come out three months ago so we could have had a triumvirate with Cavalry and Asterisk. It's the same setup.
• Musaigen no Phantom World: Eh, it's Kyoto Animation. I'll keep watching if it involves ghost girlfriends.
• Shoujo-tachi wa Kouya wo Mezasu: This sounds like a shittier Saekano.
• Ooya-san wa Shishunki!: This is a three-minute show, right? I ain't watching if it's not a three-minute show.
• Mahou Shoujo Nante Mouiidesukara.: I think the period is part of the title. How bad could it be? It has Mahou Shoujo right in the title!
• Sushi Police: This looks too shitty to not at least try.
• Ojisan to Marshmallow: It's got an old dude as the love interest. That never happens.
• Nurse Witch Komugi-chan R: Eh...it's not Momoi as Komugi. But she plays her mom instead. Is that good enough?
• Nijiro Days: Shoujo about three dudes? I guess one is in love with some chick and the other two dudes cockblock him for sport?
• Bubuki Buranki: I have no idea what this is, but it's an original anime. That still counts for something, right?
• Boku dake ga Inai Machi: I'm not especially interested in this time travelling manga artist mystery thingy, but whatever. Really, I'm just not up for another noitaminA show right about now.
• Heavy Object: This show is hot garbage. I should really just stop watching. Seriously. Hot garbage.

Christ, that is a lot of shows. There are also a bunch of specials and OVAs. I hope you weren't relying on me to keep track.

Belldandy, this ain't.

If you at least skim my half-assed preview for the winter 2016 anime season, you'll notice I basically had no expectations for Dimension W or Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! (Give Blessings to This Wonderful World!, hereinafter Konosuba). Although I've only seen two episodes of the former and one of the latter so far, both shows are solidly entertaining. This is mostly thanks to their execution rather than their subject matter.

Get pumped, witches.

As you can see from my per-episode chart, it took a while for Dagashi Kashi to secure the top spot I predicted, but it's in good company. Konosuba is my current number four show, but its rating is higher than what I gave my top show, One Punch Man, autumn 2015. I certainly disagree with people who claim this is not a very good season. Besides, there are at least three "NOT KID'S STUFF" serious shows worth watching1 in addition to some entertaining lighter fare, so I'm pretty deaf to most complaints.

Coconuts and Saya are pretty lucky You is looking out for them.

Dagashi Kashi is an uncomplicated show, but it succeeds because it's easy to enjoy the characters and their candy-related shenanigans. Hotaru and Saya are the real stars of the series, but it helps a lot that Coconuts is not a potato, if you get my meaning. Sure, he's a little dense when it comes to Saya, but his observation that Hotaru is "pretty cute when she doesn't talk" is fairly astute for an anime male lead. Likewise, his buddy Tou is totally all right. I like how he's always slumming in a Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses. The dude is leagues above the usual shitheads male anime leads tend to surround themselves with. TYPE-MOON, I'm looking in your direction.

Fast cars and polite, well-dressed robots.

I'm probably enjoying Dimension W more than most people thanks to my growing appreciation of Ueda Reina. Still, her role in the show isn't nearly as large as I would have expected, so maybe I just enjoy the mysteries and the pacing more than most viewers. There's enough detail in each episode for me to follow the story, but not so much that it becomes predictable. I've read some of the manga, and there's actually a lot more background and world building in the source material that is absent from the anime. This is probably a wise decision, as it keeps things moving along and none of the omitted bits seem critical to the main story.

Yeah, I'm not watching the Toonami dub either, Mira.

The Toonami broadcast dub started airing recently, but I'm not sure Dimension W is really going to draw a large general audience. I don't think it's nearly episodic enough to engage anyone who isn't on board from the beginning. I'm totally with it, though. Depending on how the final arc shakes out, Dimension W could easily end up being my favorite show from this season.

Paper fans are a lot more durable than I'd imagined.

Shōwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjū turned out to be much different than what I was expecting. First episode aside, Rakugo devotes all of its time to an extended flashback covering the rakugo master's youth and his relationship with the now-deceased father of the surly lady from the first episode. There are homosexual overtones, but it's starting to look like the climax of the series may involve fighting over a woman. I'm doing Rakugo a disservice by commenting on it so lightly, as it is an excellent and serious show. We don't get anime this good very often, so anyone who complains about anime being all moé shit these days had best be watching it lest he be disregarded as a hypocritical crank hereafter. In other news, there's an amusing amount of Evangelion alumni in the cast. Voice actors for Kaworu, Kaji, Rei, and Touji all have important roles.

I bet that thing dies.

Like Rakugo, Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! is a Studio Deen production, giving this oft-maligned studio two series in this season's best four shows. Crunchyroll described Konosuba as a pastoral. I agree with this view and would like to add that Konosuba comes across overall as the best case scenario for a NEET reincarnated in a fantasy world. Yeah, Aqua is a sloppy and generally horrid person, and Darkness' one shtick can get pretty tiresome rather quickly, but...you know, this don't seem so bad. I'd sleep in that stable. The show itself is quite funny and very refreshing considering the over-saturated Fantasy and Reincarnation genres we're stuck with. Even though Konosuba is my number four show of winter 2016, I feel as if it ought to be higher.

I want to read a 4-koma comic strip about Kayo's shitty life.

If you look at initial impressions from the first couple weeks of the season, you'll find near unanimous agreement claiming Boku dake ga Inai Machi (ERASED) is the best show of the season. I can't agree with this at all, but I also can't disagree too vehemently. ERASED is very good when it's good, but it's also the sort of show that really hurts itself when it's bad. It's probably unfair to hold a time travel show to such a high standard that even minor plot holes become damning, but the plot holes (and contrivances) do bother me. I went over this already, though, and don't feel the need to revisit those criticisms at this time.

The rising sun was a bit much. P.S. Spoilers.

I should probably say a few words about the second season of Gate, particularly since I seem to enjoy it much more than most viewers. However, it's one of those shows that has so much baggage and requires so much context that it's just too much work to address at this time. At a minimum, it requires a lot more explanation than is appropriate for one of these little blog updates. Maybe I'll get around to it someday (just as maybe I'll get around to writing down all those Aldnoah.Zero thoughts. I will at least say anyone on the fence about starting the series should disregard the criticisms of opponents who are hostile towards military force projection as a matter of principle.

Meanwhile, Ojou helps you find her nipples.

Oshiete! Galko-chan probably deserves to be at the top of this list, especially considering I've given it a perfect score through eight episodes. However, it's an episodic short series with eight-minute episodes and essentially no continuity. Galko-chan is mostly deft observational humor and gags about Galko herself behaving differently than one might stereotypically expect, but it's fun to watch. Additionally, Noto Mamiko is really making the most of her role as the show's narrator.

This was a pretty good catch, especially since it doesn't have opposable thumbs.

I only intended to highlight three or four shows from this season, but there are just too many gems currently airing. I haven't even mentioned the latest Pretty Cure or any of the bad shows with good ideas. Back in the day, I'd probably have gotten a lot more mileage out of the current crop. Before the dark times. Before the Twitter. Well, that platform does seem intent on self-destructing, so maybe good ol' anime blogging will return one day.

Note 1: Rakugo, ERASED, and Ajin (which I dropped after one episode).

I want to read Ranko's "grimoire."

Chuunibyou has changed. I supposed technically it's evolved. Or perhaps ascended to a higher plane. If you associate chuunibyou with its roots, it's apparent the term's meaning had already transformed beyond its original usage by the time it started appearing prominently in anime. Nonetheless, when I say it has changed, I'm referring more generally regarding how chuuni characters themselves have appeared within anime over time.

It didn't actually cost me seventy-six hundred yen.

Due to the friendly currency exchange ratio of the U.S. dollar to Japanese yen, I import a lot more Japanese merchandise these days. These goods include the first Blu-ray set for Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo!, my fourth-highest-rated show from the 2016 winter season according to my chart. Notably, I don't currently have any plans to do the same for any other series from that season, to include the three shows I ranked higher than Konosuba. There are a variety of reasons for this.

They should put Megumin in charge of naming all the weapons.

The second season of Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! ended after 10 all-too-short episodes, just as the first season did. Unfortunately, unlike the first season, the second season finale did not conclude with the announcement of a sequel. Given that Konosuba S2 sits comfortably on top of my list of winter 2017's best shows, above even Little Witch Academia TV and Shōwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjū: Sukeroku Futatabi-hen, I'm certainly hopeful for a third season someday.

It's because Ainz can't close his eyes. He has no eyelids.

As far as gimmicks go, I find Isekai Quartet fairly effective because I'm a sucker for crossovers. Plus, I was already a fan of the Ple Ple Pleiades shorts accompanying the Overlord anime. Isekai Quartet essentially expands Ple Ple Pleiades by adding characters from Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu, Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo!, and Youjo Senki for additionally high-wacky antics. I have watched all of these shows, and although I dropped Re:Zero after five episodes, I'm at least familiar enough with the franchise to understand the basic references and character dynamics.

Ram seems okay.

As far as the show itself goes, Isekai Quartet has half-length episodes and is not particularly ambitious. It seems to mostly trust that viewers will enjoy seeing the interactions among characters from different shows they already like. Nobody strays too far from their idiom, and the series is entertaining enough for what it is. Isekai Quartet is surely also an effort to encourage viewers to explore these shows further if they didn't catch them the first time around. Youjo Senki and Konosuba both have movies I want to watch, and Re:Zero recently announced a sequel. I have to admit that I'm amused enough by Ram's mistreatment of Subaru during each episode of Isekai Quartet that I'm considering giving the first season of Re:Zero another chance. If I do, maybe I'll be caught up before the sequel begins. Just as planned, I'm sure, eh, Kadokawa.

"Naofumi, what are we going to do inside the Shield Prison?"

Finding out that the cast of Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari (The Rising of the Shield Hero) was joining Isekai Quartet did not exactly fill me with a lot of confidence about its second season (which inexplicably isn't called Isekai Quintet), but it's been okay so far. Then again, the Shield Hero cast hasn't been in the first four episodes very much. Most of my trepidation derives from my fairly negative impressions of Shield Hero as a show (I watched 13 episodes), my lack of interest in the characters, and the rather defensive attitude the franchise's more vocal supporters seem to adopt on the Twitter. These did not seem to be ideal additions to a comedy about characters being portrayed as dipshits.

Aqua is sort of racist, to tell you the truth.

Naturally, the Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! cast fits right in, because they're dipshits to begin with. Aqua is a delight—so much so that I want retcons of other Tenchan roles except portrayed as basically Aqua analogs. (For example, Asseylum Vers Allusia from Aldnoah.Zero except with Aqua's personality and intelligence. You can't tell me Slaine's tragic loyalty to Aqua Vers Allusia wouldn't have improved the second season.) Given a choice, I'll definitely take idiots like Aqua over sourpusses like Naofumi when it comes to wacky comedy crossovers.