Capes' Anime List: The full index of Capes' anime hot takes

 This post contains my opinion on every anime-related piece of media I've ever finished. Have fun.

Year	Title	Studio	Ep count	Source	Rating	Notes
2024	Blue Archive	Yostar & Candybox	12	Game	7.1	I wanted to see Blue Archive characters brought to life and that's exactly what I got. The story's presentation is creative, though the writers don't bother trying to sell the plot to outsiders.
2023	Bokuyaba	Shin-Ei	12	Manga	5.0	Usually this cutesy back and forth style of romance is paired up with some kind of 'teasing' dynamic between the girl and the MC, but Bokuyaba substitutes that with Anna's quirky shenanigans. Despite this, the progression between the two is about the same here as in something like Nagatoro-san, but with a far more subdued approach to the characters and their scenarios. Its easygoing style of comedy and tame romance doesn't hold my interest for long.
2023	Onimai	Bind	12	Manga	8.0	Onimai plays the Lucky Star formula of characters hanging out and doing simple things, and it does it better than most. The whole genderswap gimmick adds enough of a new spin to make this worth the watch, with its vivid art style and animation helping this stand out against other shows from the same niche.
2023	Oshi no Ko	Doga Kobo	11	Manga	6.4	This can be entertaining in an overstimulating way. It has some decently memorable characters, though by the time you're finished with it, you start wondering if this story had a developed concept in mind before these various plot elements started getting strung together.
2023	Skip and Loafer	PA Works	12	Manga	7.1	This is smartly written if not a bit overly thorough with how it handles its characters. This falls halfway between romance and slice of life, committing purely to developing its character dynamics and forming new connections. It almost feels more like psychological therapy than actual entertainment, but it's interesting.
2023	Tengoku Daimakyo	Production IG	12	Manga	8.5	Daimakyo takes the writing approach of "if we're going to do something strange, we might as well go all out with it!" What makes this show work is its believable characters, slotting them into this unbelievable adventure story filled with constant surprises. The presentation of its contents are sneaky, leaving out heaps of odds and ends for the viewer to try and piece together. This is a series that demands the viewer to not only be attentive, but speculative, in order to figure everything out.
2022	Akiba Maid Sensou	PA Works	12	Original	6.7	A memorable experience from front to back, sometimes becoming so ridiculous that it starts to get grating. Its cinematic strengths are on point, though the balancing act of a idol-centric story filled with constant action might be too much to fit in one package.
2022	Chainsaw Man	Mappa	12	Manga	8.2	With an ungodly amount of hype to live up to, Mappa really did about the best they could to jam the action packed experience into 12 episodes. Whether or not you agree with their stylistic decisions, it's apparent that they were trying to make this adaptation stand out. For what it's worth, I'd say they effectively translated that chaotic fun from the manga, which works for me.
2022	Do It Yourself	Pine Jam	12	Original	8.3	This is about as wholesome as CGDCT anime can get without feeling predictable. An all-timer cast of characters and a unique, futuristic modern setting keeps this one alive from start to finish. Wonderful art style as well.
2022	The Little Lies We all Tell	Flad	11	Manga	6.2	Hit or miss 4koma adaptation. The characters are mostly good but it's obvious when a gag isn't going to land, made only worse when it drags out.
2022	Renai Flops	Passione	12	Original	1.0	Renai Flops has two halves. Complete dumbass harem comedy and complete dumbass exposition dump hack-fest story. Made even less tolerable once the gag recycling starts to kick in.
2020	Interspecies Reviewers	Passione	12	Manga	7.9	Yes, this is completely degenerate coomer comedy, but it's a damn creative one. It's fun, dumbass entertainment. What more could I ask from a show like this?
2019	Kaguya-sama	A-1	12	Manga	7.3	A clever comedy recommended for viewers tired of the same old romcom shticks. The memorable cast of characters and goofy comedy makes this worth watching. Though, if you're expecting strong romance elements, maybe set your expectations a bit lower.
2019	Quintessential Quintuplets	Tezuka	12	Manga	6.5	This is a typical harem-centric romcom show, but with far more restraint with how the MC is treated. This season is cutesy comedy focused.
2021	Quintessential Quintuplets S2	Bibury	12	Manga	6.5	Despite me giving this the same rating as the first season, Quintuplets season 2 is completely different from the first one. This one is far more focused on character drama, blasting through each conflict at lightspeed pace. It's fun in a trainwreck sort of way, but don't expect anything too meaningful from this.
2022	Quintessential Quintuplets Movie	Bibury	Movie	Manga	n/a	You are shown multiple 'fake' endings to demonstrate what would happen if the MC were to end up with each character individually. This is cute, but the real ending feels meaningless. I would feel baffled if I saw this in a theater. Hardly any cinematic elements to this.
2018	Yuru Camp	C-Station	12	Manga	8.4	An all-timer cast of characters propels what would be a decently comfy Cute Girls anime into a staple of the genre. Great visuals, as well. Makes me want to go camping!
2016	Danganronpa 3	Lerche	24	Original	1.0	One of the worst anime I've ever watched, though it's at least entertaining with how baffling stupid it is. It goes without saying that DR3 doesn't quite understand what makes the DR games work, and instead focuses on violence and chaos nonstop.
2016	Kimi no na wa	Comix Wave	Movie	Original	7.9	The story might be a little more ambitious than it needed, but my nitpicks don't matter in the greater picture. Perfectly serviceable movie plot paired with some impressive visuals and a cute take on the bodyswap gimmick.
2016	Konosuba	Deen	10	LN	8.5	To see Deen back in the spotlight for any reason is heartwarming. Turns out this comedy was their sweet spot, with Deen doubling down on their forte of goofy slapstick. The fantasy setting adds to the fun, without the whole isekai setting intruding on this great cast of characters.
2017	Konosuba S2	Deen	10	LN	n/a	Honestly I might have to rewatch this one for reassessment. I remember the Axis Church playing a larger role in this season, but looking at the episode summaries, it really only takes up a single chunk of episodes at the end.
2019	Konosuba Legend of Crimson	JC Staff	Movie	LN	n/a	Lives up to about everything you could ever want from a Konosuba movie. It's good fun, though I never considered Konosuba strong for its cinematic elements...
2023	Konosuba Bakuen	Drive	12	LN	5.5	I can understand what's appealing about the idea of honing in on Megumin and her peers. Megumin is cute, so why not focus on that cuteness? The main problem is that Megumin can't hold this series up by herself. Without Aqua, Darkness, or Kazuma, you're stuck with Megu's explosion fixation mostly by itself, and there aren't too many interesting things this season does with it that you haven't seen in the previous ones.
2015	Charlotte	PA Works	13	Original	3.0	Complete overloaded mess. The story is far too ambitious for its own good, trying to cram as much nonsense into 13 episodes as possible. Maeda's problem of dumping more and more characters into a story is worse here than it is in anything else that he's ever put out.
2014	Akame Ga Kill	White Fox	24	Manga	4.5	It can be fun when it's taking itself less seriously. But when it's trying to be shounen action schlock, the story turns into white noise. Too many characters crammed into this.
2014	Grisaia	8bit	13	VN	4.0	This is a typical 'we need to script all the routes at the same time' visual novel adaptation. You can imagine how stuffing an 80 hour visual novel into a single cour might lead to questionable results. Pair this up with its odd fanservice use, and you got a real headscratcher here.
2014	Kokkuri-san	TMS	12	Manga	6.8	Kokkuri-san is hilarious when it's on a roll. The extra side characters tend to drag the show down, however. Total fujo bait.
2014	Nisekoi	Shaft	20	Manga	3.5	Great visuals, character designs, reaction image shots. However, the rest of the content might as well be short circuiting with how little it conveys over the course of 20 episodes.
2015	Nisekoi S2	Shaft	12	Manga	4.0	The second season makes more of an attempt to round out some thoughtful story elements. But once that's finished, it's back to the usual empty gags and copout plotline.
2014	Nourin	Silver Link	12	LN	5.0	By Silver Link's standards, Nourin is one of their more watchable goofball comedy shows, though the content is as low brow as ever. Combine this with its 'childhood friend' romance angle and its focus on farming to get a formula that I can't imagine ever working out in the first place.
2014	Sabagebu	Signpost	12	Manga	7.7	Another Masahiko Oota project from the group's peak era. Makes for great entertainment with its silly gags and colorful cast of characters.
2013	Date A Live	AIC	12	LN	5.0	Date A Live is muddied by its inability to pace things out. The dating aspect is comparable to Kaminomi, except Date A Live wants to write from the shounen-geared 'alien waifu being hunted by the government' playbook, leading to constant supernatural military action. Add in the need to keep a harem of girls in rotation, and you got one overstimulating mess of bullshit on your hands.
2013	GJ-bu	Doga Kobo	12	LN	4.5	The art style and characters are undeniably cute, but its content doesn't stray far from the usual harem-centric fluff.
2013	Little Witch Academia	Trigger	Movie	Original	n/a	Maybe one day I'll watch the full anime series. The characters are cute and it has a nice visual style.
2013	Mondaiji-tachi ga Isekai kara Kuru Sou desu yo?	Diomedea	10	LN	2.0	The show's somewhat passable isekai card game premise is being supported by some of the most dull main characters I've ever seen in an anime. Some of the side characters are decent, but you really should avoid this.
2013	Oregairu	Brain's Base	13	LN	3.5	Oregairu seeks to differentiate itself from other romance-centered school anime by screwing with common character dynamics and plot developments. The end result is certainly harder to predict, but it lacks its own coherent ideas. The story ends up feeling aimless without providing much entertainment of its own.
2015	Oregairu S2	Feel	13	LN	1.0	Just in case the first season was too 'fun' for you, the second season hones in on miserable character drama, all while retaining those same feelings of aimlessness and incoherence. It's difficult to see what makes these developments interesting unless you're hanging onto a rope hoping that the show will pull you somewhere interesting. Which, in these 13 episodes, it doesn't.
2013	Prisma Illya	Silver Link	10	Manga	3.0	Dull, pointless storyline, boring main characters. This is only being held up by dumb reaction image shots and flashy visuals. Its character writing is somewhat competent at least, but it can't fix what the series is lacking.
2014	Prisma Illya 2wei	Silver Link	10	Manga	3.5	Chloe makes this series considerably more fun to watch but also a hell of a lot more stupid. Melodrama is the core of this season, with a big dumb explosion fight arc at the end for good measure.
2013	Tamako Market	Kyoani	12	Original	6.8	Kyoani rehashes what they're good at with this one. The characters are fine, but don't expect anything surprising to come out from this story.
2013	White Album 2	Satelight	13	VN	6.0	This is a love triangle drama that falls victim to a common VN adaptation problem. This story was clearly intended to be experienced in first person, and doesn't seem to convey the right emotions when seen from an outsider's perspective.
2012	Accel World	Sunrise	24	LN	2.0	Accel World features similar problems to Sword Art Online, fitting since it's written by the same guy. The show's overall concept and expansive settings lay down a solid foundation, only for the awful characters and braindead writing style to completely destroy anything the show had going for it.
2012	Joshiraku	JC Staff	13	Manga	8.2	As difficult as its referential humor is to translate, its simpler jokes and visual gags make this one worth watching, regardless. The characters are fun.
2012	Little Busters	JC Staff	26	VN	6.4	At least by having two cour to work with, Little Busters can get away with some of its 'doing every route in one adaptation' shenanigans. But not only does the melodrama seem out of place the way it's paced in this adaptation, but most of it doesn't work nearly as well when you're looking at Riki from an outsider perspective.
2014	Little Busters EX	JC Staff	8	VN	7.4	The Saya route is just about impossible to nail in anime form, but everything else here is solid. The Saya route is fine too, honestly.
2012	Nyaruko-san	Xebec	12	LN	2.0	Typical harem trash right here, not much else needs to be said.
2012	OniAi	Silver Link	12	LN	4.5	If you want dumbass ecchi humor, you're sure as hell going to get it. This show is filled with jokes about boobs and butts and sex and everything you could ever want. Oh, and there's the incest thing too, but that's the least of your concerns with how this one portreys itself.
2012	Sword Art Online	A-1	25	LN	2.0	SAO's expansive video game world is interesting enough by itself. It's visually impressive, but anything else that goes into this show, including the characters, the story, the writing, etc, is completely braindead.
2012	Symphogear	Satelight & Encourage	13	Original	0.0	Unquestionably the dumbest anime I've ever sat through. I didn't enjoy a single thing about this one.
2011	A-Channel	Gokumi	12	Manga	7.4	This is your standard 'not Lucky Star' Cute Girl anime experience in 2011, and to be fair, I'd consider A-Channel cute and silly enough to be worth watching. Don't expect anything incredible from this.
2011	Carnival Phantasm	Lerche	12	Manga	8.1	This is fun for the whole family, but don't expect to understand wtf is going on here if you haven't experienced either Tsukihime or F/SN in some form or another. Case in point, I still haven't touched F/SN, so a lot of those references went over my head.
2011+	Fate/Zero S1+2	Ufotable	25	LN	7.1	A mix of interesting characters contrasted with Urobuchi/Nasuverse edgelord shit and goofy shounen action.
2011	Madoka Magica	Shaft	12	Original	10	I had to debate giving this a 10 because of course it has its flaws... But it's the kind of flaws that at least make this story interesting to talk about. Conceptually, aesthetically, I think this series is mostly untouchable, considering how much it's trying to do within only 12 episodes. Fitting in an interesting cast of characters helps make up for its eyebrow raising plot twists.
2013	Madoka Magica: Rebellion	Shaft	Movie	Original	6.8	Shaft is purely flexing on us with their visual design concepts in this movie. Which, to be fair, they're really good at it. Compared to the story of the main series, though, this one is more self-absorbed with its lunacy.
2011	MIrai Nikki	Asread	26	Manga	6.8	Always riding the fine line between entertaining and being TOO comically hacky for its own good. This is just ridiculous enough for everything to come together without being completely unwatchable. It's decently fun to sit through.
2011	Nichijou	Kyoani	26	Manga	10	Kyoani can't help but go all in when they find source material that they really like, and Nichijou is about as hard as they've ever gone in on anything. And in a genre that's typically more suited for lower budgets, seeing the slapstick insanity at peak quality is an eye-opening experience.
2011	Yuru Yuri	Doga Kobo	12	Manga	8.9	This is the reason why I always refer to Masahiko Oota's team as 'the Yuru Yuri guys'. It's because their Yuru Yuri adaptation is so damn perfect! At worst it has some gag overuse, but everything about its visual comedy and cast of characters, as well as the artstyle, couldn't be better.
2010	Angel Beats	PA Works	13	Original	n/a	I definitely like Angel Beats, but it's been so long since I've seen this one that I can't actually remember how much I still like it.
2010	Baka and Test	Silver Link	13	LN	5.5	I enjoy the off-the-rails chibi nature of Baka and Test's comedy and its cast of characters. But the big problem is that the writers assume you NEVER get tired of the various gags they recycle over and over again for the entire duration of the show. It never stops reusing jokes that are rarely amusing in the first place.
2010	Kaminomi	Manglobe	12	Manga	8.8	Kaminomi tackles the challenge of trying to turn romance into pure popcorn entertainment without relying on melodrama or romcom tropes. And as a result, this series stands out with its unique premise and fun characters.
2011	Kaminomi S2	Manglobe	12	Manga	8.1	I'll probably rewatch this one eventually. I was dicking around in VC the whole time I saw this, though to be fair I DID read the manga past this point in the story.
2010	Mitsudomoe	Bridge	13	Manga	7.0	I gotta admit the pervert humor gets a LITTLE tiring after being subjected to it in every single episode. The characters are fun, and I love the slapstick style of humor, but I can only handle so much of kids talking about boobs and panties.
2010	MM!	Xebec	12	LN	4.5	MM at least has SOME ambitions, but it's hard not to see it as another harem comedy filled with pure dumbassery. It's cute when it feels like being cute, but for the most part, this is dumb shit at full force.
2010	Oreimo	AIC	12	LN	7.2	Oreimo makes for an interesting attempt to expand on the world of otaku culture, using Kirino and her brother to stumble through all of it in an amusing way. This show is always finding strange methods of keeping the story moving, making it captivating throughout all its questionable nonsense.
2010	Squid Girl	Diomedea	12	Manga	8.3	Any anime that's good enough to get me into anime itself has to count for something, right? As the story goes, Squid Girl is the first anime I ever watched, and for simple reasons. It's cute. But in the greater scope, the Squid Girl premise is a unique one. Maybe it dabbles a bit into 'waifu alien from outer space!' territory, but without the serious drama elements that most other shows of the same variety have. Instead, Squid Girl focuses on its cute comedy elements, which works far better for this sort of genre.
2009	Bakemonogatari	Shaft	15	LN	7.0	If you like your anime sauced up with colorful visual designs and memorable characters, this certainly has it. It takes a unique approach to relationship building, though I can't help but feel that it doesn't have much of an engaging story to follow.
2009	K-ON!	Kyoani	13	Manga	6.9	I might need to rewatch this one (it's been a longass time). I remember my problem with K-ON's first season is that, despite its iconic cast of characters, this story doesn't do much with them. They DO say "lazy" and they sit around in the clubroom doing nothing a lot of the time.
2008	Quiz Magic Academy	AIC	1	Game	n/a	I know nothing about this series so my only reason for watching it is "some of the characters are cute?" Not worth your time.
2008	Index	JC Staff	24	LN	3.0	Index is the definitive light novel schlock adaptation. Don't watch this if you got into this series for the Railgun girls, this is the Touma and Index show. They fight off one moronic villain at a time with long exposition dumps in between.
2009	Railgun	JC Staff	24	Manga	6.7	Far more entertaining than Index. Mainly on account of the characters being 900x better by comparison. You still have the shounen schlock factor here, but the funny bits and the goofball filler episodes make it easier to digest.
2008	Toradora	JC Staff	25	LN	8.9	You can't have a compelling romance story without a reasonable helping of drama, something that Mari Okada was willing to provide for Toradora. Even so, it's hard to imagine this series without its memorable characters and their colorful designs. JC Staff was working overtime to make sure this project came out on top.
2007	Gurren Lagann	Gainax	27	Original	8.2	Gurren Lagann is the perfect anime to slide into the late 00s wave of hype for shows like Death Note and Code Geass. This anime aims to be exciting above all else, and it's clear this story wasn't going to settle for anything less than the best. It's crammed with memorable character designs, ultra-intense action scenes, and carefully written drama. You could even say they overstuffed the series with its high ambitions, but the results definitely count for something.
2007	Hidamari Sketch	Shaft	12	Manga	6.6	Shaft couldn't help but flex their admiration for visual art by throwing it in your face over the course of Hidamari Sketch. Fittingly, this is a show about making art, but more specifically, about cute anime girls making art. It's always been a staple of Shaft to push their stylistic choices up in front over everything. The contrast of their color spasms versus the easygoing pacing of this source material has never felt so large.
2007	Kodomo no Jikan	Diomedea	12	Manga	7.1	You'd think a show like this would be a total flop, but Kodomo no Jikan has just the right amount of stupidity and Mari Okada melodrama to somehow balance itself out into something watchable. Dare I say... enjoyable? It can be funny at times even if I don't think the fanservice bits add anything worthwhile to the show.
2007	Lucky Star	Kyoani	24	Manga	10	Lucky Star is the 4koma adaptation to end all 4koma adaptations. It's unreal how they transformed something so simple into such an iconic anime. It feels obvious to point out the unforgettable art style and how it laid down the foundation for character dynamics in 'cute girl' anime shows. But hey, I gotta be positive sometimes!
2007	Minami-ke	Daume	13	Manga	9.5	This is one of the earliest Masahiko Oota projects, and definitely the first one to put these guys on the map. Despite its four total seasons (soon to be five), none of them can hold a candle to the first one. The visual gags, the character designs and expressions, the pacing. This is all perfect, and to get a finished work this memorable out of such simple source material is truly the work of miracles. Or the work of a dedicated team with aspirations.
2008	Minami-ke Okawari	Asread	13	Manga	7.2	Okawari grew on me over time, though the difference between this and the other seasons is jarring at first. Instead of playing the gags straight, Okawari tries to shape each episode into a more traditional anime storyline. This is the only season you'll see trying to work in serious emotional elements as well. It works when it works, and when it doesn't work, the pacing and gags start to fall apart. Though, overall, the oversaturated colors and exaggerated character designs make for an interesting change of pace.
2009	Minami-ke Okaeri	Asread	13	Manga	7.0	Although this is more Minami-ke goodness, this is unquestionably the most bland season of the four. The artstyle is not as expressive as the first two seasons, making use of an uninteresting color palette and forgettable character designs. Not good for a show that has such a large cast of side characters. The writing, however, is far more digestible compared to Okawari.
2013	Minami-ke Tadaima	Feel	13	Manga	7.4	The fourth season of Minami-ke makes up for Okaeri's lack of color by completely blasting this series with colorful backgrounds over a variety of locations. The character designs are the same as from Okaeri, but their dynamics with each other and the world around them have been greatly boosted.
2007	School Days	TNK	12	VN	7.0	This adaptation nails the chaotic elements of the visual novel, giving us an anime original trainwreck route that explores most of the game's degenerate elements. Sometimes it makes you wish you could see these characters under a less vindictive spotlight, but that's what the VN is for!
2006	Death Note	Madhouse	37	Manga	9.4	A masterful work of entertainment here, regardless of the direction it takes towards the end. For the most part, this revitalizes everything you look for in an anime. A memorable visual style, an exciting approach to drama and storytelling. And of course, an engaging concept to win over any curious young adult/teenager.
2006	Haruhi Suzumiya	Kyoani	14	LN	8.5	Kyoani's sense of ambition is what makes Haruhi work as a light novel adaptation. They match the sense of scope from the original story by turning each plot development into its own momentous event. The character dynamics are fun as well.
2009	Haruhi Suzumiya S2	Kyoani	14	LN	6.0	Perhaps SOME level of restraint is in order with the amount of pretentiousness that went into the vision for Haruhi's second season. This is disgustingly self-indulgent, and it has little to show for it when compared with the first season. The visuals are solid, at least.
2010	The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya	Kyoani	Movie	LN	8.7	Pure Kyoani animation kino. The storyline is the usual LN Haruhi hack-fest, but it fits into the movie's playing time nicely.
2006	Higurashi	Deen	24	VN	9.0	Higurashi will forever be Deen's masterpiece adaptation, something only a studio as daring as them could bother trying to tackle. Considering the complicated time-screwery going on with the visual novel's plot, it's impressive that Deen maintained the authentic pacing style from the game. The slice of life fun slowly descends into horrifying, chaotic madness. And Deen knows how to capture that horror and chaotic madness rather well.
2007	Higurashi Kai	Deen	26	VN	9.3	Higurashi Kai has a cleaned up visual style compared to the first series, with a far more organized story to try and adapt. Unlike the pure chaos of the first adaptation, Kai builds momentum throughout the two cours, leading up to something that feels like a finale. Deen decided to emphasize all the important story elements here, and it worked for the better, letting it all unwind in front of the viewer in a way that's easy to follow.
2009+	Higurashi OVAs	Deen	5+	VN(?)	n/a	Complete nonsense fluff, borders on unwatchable.
2006	Shakugan no Shana	JC Staff	24	LN	6.0	Shana is a mess of light novel schlock, overstuffed with different elements that make up its universe. In fairness though, the main characters are fun to watch, which automatically makes this far more tolerable compared to similar LN adaptations. Shana's nonsense is often acceptable, but you have a LOT on your plate. And then you get shit like the weirdass incest villains and you're like... why though...
2005	Strawberry Marshmallow	Daume	12	Manga	9.5	I was shocked by how carefully constructed this adaptation is, especially by 2005 standards. It's a masterpiece on all fronts. Beautiful sound design, fun characters, plenty of cute moments and goofy jokes. Somebody had a VISION for this adaptation and they made it a reality.
2004	Lyrical Nanoha	Seven Arcs	13	Original	4.5	Great character designs here, although the writing is extremely dull, especially by mahou shoujo standards. It aims for more of a homogenized 'otaku' demographic, meaning it has a bit more edge to it than its contemporaries. Though, it completely wipes out all the fun from the genre, leaving us with something both immature and unengaging at the same time.
2003	Fullmetal Alchemist	Bones	51	Manga	8.9	It's been a LONG time since I've watched this. My memory is fuzzy, but I remember it being enjoyable for most of the whole way through. I don't have any desire to watch Brotherhood, though.
2003	Tsukihime	JC Staff	12	VN	3.0	The woman who wrote the script for this adaptation wanted to turn Tsukihime's story into something that was more respectful for broader demographics, instead of the male-focused edgelord fest that is the original visual novel. What we got in the end is a story that had been majorly toyed with, sometimes unnecessarily so in order to get more screentime for the other characters (who would normally not appear much during Arcueid's route). Everything has been majorly dulled down, though admittedly, this series is still watchable. You'll only end up spoiling the VN's story if you watch this first.
2002	Azumanga Daioh	JC Staff	26	Manga	10	Take an all-timer manga and give it to a studio that wants to bring that magic into reality, and you get Azumanga. A show so purely fun as to melt away any cynicism one could have looking into the anime industry.
2001	Puni Puni Poemii	JC Staff	2	Original	n/a	This is an hour long dumbass mahou shoujo parody. Pure spaz-core nonsense, not worth watching.
1998	Initial D 1st Stage	Comet & Gallop	26	Manga	7.7	If you like Japanese cars and touge racing, this is good entertainment. Otherwise, I don't think it has much outsider appeal.
1998	Trigun	Madhouse	26	Manga	n/a	I might rewatch this one someday, but it's not high on my priority list. I don't remember loving this one (the story goes a bit off the rails), but aesthetically it's cool looking.
1971	Lupin III	TMS	23	Manga	n/a	I have no plans to rewatch Lupin, but I remember it being entertaining. Makes for a curious watch with how old it is, but not something I'd be recommending to people.

	Bonus - visual novels and manga
Year	Title	Format	Length	Source	Score	Notes
2021	Blue Archive (story)	Gacha	n/a	Original	8.4	Although Blue Archive doesn't always pull together something coherent, they have the right amount of ambition, and the right cast of characters to make it entertaining.
2017	Doki Doki Literature Club	VN	short	Original	6.7	DDLC came out at just the right time, back when simple, autismo-core horror shock games were all the rage (FNAF particularly). This is far from the first rug-pull dating sim experience, but it's the bite-sized length that sets it apart. This feels far more appropriate for its shock novelty.
2015	Fate/Grand Order (story)	Gacha	n/a	Original	6.7	Putting the gacha gameplay aside, F/GO has a story that can be experienced somewhat like a visual novel. Obviously not on the same level as any real Nasuverse visual novel, but it certainly has enough content to look at it like one. The downside is that most of the story is tied to the creation of farming nodes, leading to many back and forth repetitive story elements that feel like they're designed to waste time. But, in the occasional moments that F/GO is willing to give us something entertaining, it has a wide enough variety of characters to deliver something servicable.
2012	Girls und Panzer	Manga	4 volumes	Original	n/a	Probably worth reading for the cute art alone. Content-wise, this comes from the standard early 2010s CGDCT playbook.
2012	Katawa Shoujo	VN	long	Original	9.5	A completely unique dating sim experience that may as well have popped out of thin air. You can thank this VN for getting 4chan-age westerners into this medium in the first place.
2010	Danganronpa	VN	long	Original	10	Comparing Danganronpa to other visual novels feels almost unfair considering the large amount of interactable video game content, but you can't deny that you're in this for the story and the characters. The style and music are unmatched, everything adding up to a full package of spectacle.
2012	Danganronpa 2	VN	long	Original	10	DR2 has just as much love dumped into it as the first game. The characters are just as fun, as are the environments, the music, the style. And of course, the spectacle! DR2 never holds back with its storytelling, taking full advantage of the visual novel medium to deliver something that can only be experienced like this.
2017	Danganronpa V3	VN	long	Original	10	DRV3 keeps the throttle fully pressed down. As usual, this is a story that aims to one up the previous games with every step, adding as much style and drama as they can possibly stuff into it without losing focus completely. Whether or not they went TOO FAR is up to the reader's discretion.
2007	Little Busters	VN	very long	Original	9.3	The story of Little Busters is a mixed bag, especially when you get into the inividual character routes. But you're mainly playing this for the vibes, the characters, the jokes, and their little interactions with each other.
2005	School Days	VN	average	Original	7.6	School Days is THE ultimate rug-pull dating sim. This is cringe-content at its finest, and once you get a feel for it, it's fun as heck to stumble through.
2006	School Days	Manga	2 volumes	VN	n/a	This is little more than extra School Days content for School Days fans. This isn't as thorough as the anime adaptation, but it is a manga-exclusive route that makes for a worthwhile quick read.
2000	Tsukihime	VN	long	Original	9.3	Deep inside I know that Tsukihime is designed to be an edgelord fantasy, but I can't help loving these characters, even when the story ends up being hit or miss. The environments sell this one. And you gotta admit, you aren't going to find anything else remotely similar to this from such an early year for the medium.
2001	Kagetsu Tohya	VN	average	Original	8.8	This visual novel feels more like supplemental content to Tsukihime, rather than an actual sequel. However, this is a LOT of supplemental content, and most of it is fun to stumble through.
1999	Azumanga Daioh	Manga	4 volumes	Original	10	Azumanga is the perfect 'cute girls doing school things' package, essentially laying the blueprint for future 10/10 anime adaptations like Lucky Star and Nichijou.
	Bonus bonus - anime related stuff that I will never bother finishing (aka Capes' drop list)
Year	Title	Format	Length	Source		Notes
2023	Kamikatsu	Anime	12 eps	Manga		Even I can't deny the entertainment value from how insane this adaptation is. The storyboarding is a complete mess, the characters' personalities are like throwing darts and having to use whatever gets landed on. The story feels like that, too! And that's without taking the bizarre animation choices into consideration. Think of the schlock-iest nonsense you've ever watched (C3 for example), and this goes right up there with it. That all being said, I think I've seen my fair share of nonsense schlock shows... This one isn't so special that it's worth going out of your way to watch.
2022	Fabiniku	Anime	12 eps	Manga		This one is REALLY bad, pure fujo-core fantasy fluff. It's an ass backwards BL comedy that isn't bringing any worthwhile jokes or gags to the table. Certainly no fun characters to be found here, either.
2021	Horimiya	Anime	13 eps	Manga		Possibly the most dull romance story I've ever encountered. I made it halfway through this one. These characters have only a small semblance of personality, and the story's emotional depth is shallow. I have no faith in the second half of this story.
2021	Redo of Healer	Anime	12 eps	LN		Redo of Healer is a degenerate's sadomasochistic fantasies through and through. Forget about the story and characters (not that they actually mean much in the first place), because you're either here for the Nekopara-style threesome scenes, or the rape scenes. Or both. In any case, this kind of 'entertainment' doesn't hold up well for a 12 episode series. You get the jist of it within a few episodes before it starts repeating itself, losing its shock value later on.
2021	Slime 300	Anime	12 eps	LN		Slime 300 is a fantasy-themed CGDCT show with a heavy 'flavor of the week' style of writing. The comedy and characters are overly safe and spongy, making this show feel completely inferior to other goofball fantasy anime like Konosuba.
2020	Kamisama ni Natta Hi	Anime	12 eps	Original		I have no idea what Jun Maeda was thinking when he wrote this one. Maeda's talent for creating memorable characters has completely dried up here. Even worse, this story and its concepts have devolved into light novel standards for hack garbage.
2020	Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear	Anime	12 eps	LN		More Naro-kei light novel trash. Absolutely nothing of worth here.
2019	Noukin	Anime	12 eps	LN		Pure, flavorless Naro-kei light novel isekai fluff. To see Oota's writing team in the credits for this adaptation is truly heartbreaking.
2018	Uzamaid	Anime	12 eps	Manga		In the search for another wacko comedy manga to adapt, Oota's animation team somehow ended up with Uzamaid. By all means, this is a high effort adaptation. But their talents are being spent on a lolicon-centric cringe comedy. This show is completely lacking in enjoyable characters, seemingly made for the sole purpose of making the audience wince. I almost respect what it's trying to do, but even School Days was willing to put likable characters on its roster to offset its insanity. Only watch this if you have the stomach for it.
2014	Glasslip	Anime	13 eps	Original		All the pretty visuals in the world aren't going to save what has to be the worst script I've ever seen in an anime. This show has no sense of pacing, and no idea how to write personality into its characters. Otherwise, the visual designs in this show are enjoyable (sasuga P.A. Works).
2014	Nekopara	VN	4 volumes	Original		In fairness, I did finish the first volume. But anything past that is overkill. I can only sit through so many semen-coated catgirl threesome scenes before I start questioning why I'm wasting my time trying to read through it. The actual CGDCT story parts of the games are fine enough, probably a bit TOO safe to keep my attention going for long.
2020	Nekopara	Anime	12 eps	VN		The idea of a Nekopara anime adaptation isn't THAT bad on paper. With a focus on the VN's CGDCT elements, any studio could make this one work. Unfortunately, this adaptation features a 'Poochie the dog' problem. An anime original loli character takes the spotlight for much of the early episodes. Considering the protag's younger sister is already the staple 'loli' character of the visual novel series, this new character is completely unnecessary, and saps much of the enjoyment away from the rest of the cast.
2007	Code-E	Anime	12 eps	Original		An original Deen anime with a glasses girl as the main protagonist? Count me in! But not for long. It starts out decent before it becomes clear that the characters in this show are flat as cardboard. It began to veer into the 'protect the alien girl from the government' style of writing early on. Maybe I'm wrong about that, but the descriptions for the later episodes aren't instilling any faith in me that this is a show worth watching.