Anime

I've started watching the following:

1. Wistoria: familiar plot and setting, but interesting with good animation and better music than expected. With fantasy school settings, I always struggle with the school's disregard for their students' safety. It's often just a given like it's supposed to be like that and not really expanded upon or explored why it's like that, which feels like a copout or as a cheap way to create tension.
2. SHOSHIMIN: pretty fun, but a bit vague right now. The 21:9 aspect ratio feels a bit pretentious. Curious to see where it'll go.
3. Alya: fun haremish romcom. MC is not a spineless husk, which is a surprise given the many other harem romcoms.
4. Makeine: a fun twist on the love triangle romcom. Surprisingly another MC that's not a spineless husk.
5. QA in Another World: I kinda felt obligated to watch this due to my profession (software tester). It's alright. Please don't call testers debuggers though.
6. Mayonaka Punch: really fun and engaging characters. Feels like good ol' PA Works.
7. Vtuber Legend: very fun. I used to be way into Vtubers during COVID (still am, but don't have much time for it sadly), and this anime captures the feel of it very well.
8. NieR Automata part 2: good shit. Good adaptation too. Quite a few changes and additions, but very welcome ones. They keep it interesting for people who played the game. It's also a big step up production wise compared to the previous part.
9. Senpai is an Otokonoko: heartfelt, though it feels like it's moving a fair bit faster than the webcomic. VA casting is perfect. Bit too much reliance on chibi.
10. Dahla in Bloom: decent. Feels like it only just started. This show doesn't know how to do shadows and it bothers the hell out of me.
11. Suicide Squad Isekai: it's aight. It flows a bit weird and doesn't really have an anime feel to it. This Harley Quinn is such good best girl material though.
12. 2.5D Seduction: I prefer the manga, but it's good. Some don't like the reduced nudity, but I don't really mind. That wasn't what made me enjoy the manga anyway.
13. Continuing Spice & Wolf from last season. Might wait until this arc's over and start binging though. This is my least favourite arc. Not because it's bad, but because of how it makes me feel.

Dropped:

1. My Deer Friend Shikonoko: banger of an OP, but the actual anime gets old fast. Feels quite a bit 'random equals funny'. The brainrot isn't funny enough to justify it.
2. Pseudo Harem: not doing it for me, especially in full 24 min episodes. Works better in manga form imo.
3. Plus Sized Elf: exaggerates the source material while not doing it justice.

Want to watch:

1. Monogatari: need rewatch first
2. The Elusive Samurai

Maybe I'll pick up some more along the way too.