******Beginning of Part Two******

We continue on with my one month binge list of 37 anime, now getting to the teens! Double digits! And what is that, charging from 10#? Is that a . . . .

10# Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear

Bear, Bear! Bear suit, bear powers, giant bear pets, bear puns, so much bear, not enough bear! More Bear! Bear, bear, bear, bear, bear, bear, bear, bear, bear, bear, bear, bear, bear, BEAR!

BEAR!

So, virtual-reality gamer girl is given cool limited edition gear, the bear outfit. She then is Isekai’ed to another world and the bear outfit gives her superpowers. This is the definition of a comedy anime that constantly is taking the piss out of the genre. It’s like how Deadpool is a parody of superhero movies. This anime is a parody of Isekai anime.

And the twist is that unlike some of the Isekais I have seen, even though it is a parody it has likeable characters and an interesting plot. I was genuinely surprised how into this anime I was. It was two seasons long but it went by quickly.

11# By the Grace of the Gods

Another Isekai! This time an everyday salaryman dies and three gods take pity on him. They give him power and resurrect him as a five year old kid, then send him off into another fantasy world. He lives in the woods and raises . . . slimes. Yes, this is an anime all about the lead training, breeding and utilizing the power of slimes.

At one point he breeds different species of slime, one race being a “Cleaner Slime.” Yes, slime that cleans and . . . the anime is all about this lead starting his own laundry service. Well, there is more to it but the gist of it is a little kid, with the memories of a salaryman, starting his own business.

This is the kind of anime I would watch again before bedtime. Sometimes you find an anime so chill, you cannot help but fall asleep to it. And that is not a knock against it. I drifted a few times and recommend checking it out as a bedtime anime.

12# Parallel World Pharmacy

Another Isekai!! This time a pharmaceutical researcher dies from overwork and is resurrected as a nobleman’s son with magical powers. This anime was super mature when it came to the mortality of the people in this fantasy world. There is no healing magic and most approaches to medicine are reflective of the Victorian Era times.

Things are dire in this world, even the empress almost dies from an illness. But our protagonist has the power to create any substance he can visualize. Which as a pharmacist from our world, he can spawn anything with a thought.

This was a nice drama anime that took the Isekai genre seriously and the mortality of the characters is very real. Also, there is an adorable maid who is the lead’s bestie and I thought she was a pre-teenager but came to find out she was only ten. Anime is weird, yo!

13# Skeleton Knight in Another World

Another Isekai!!! Someone looked at a heavy metal album cover and was inspired to write about a badass skeleton man, in badass armor, going around doing badass things. This is another case of a video gamer getting Isekai’ed. And it is one hell of a ride. The amount of crazy and insane action in this anime walks that thin line of seriousness and parody. It is somewhat a comedy but some of the plot points get super serious to the point where it takes it out of the comedy.

This is a mix bag anime that somehow is not a gross censored dish of purple muck. I enjoyed this one and got some much needed laughs out of it. I also was invested into the story and characters and look forward to a second season. Hell, I will be surprised if there is not a second season.

14# The Slime Diaries

This is a spinoff of the popular Isekai “That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime” and going into it I knew next to nothing about the series. I got the gist that a normal guy from the real world is sent to a fantasy world and comes back as the weakest monster of all, a slime. I think he gets super powers or something, he is no normal slime and can do a lot of cool magic.

The lead is so much a badass that he gains the respect of other monsters and starts a town of monsters. And this series is all about the casual and peaceful life of the monsters in this town. It is cute as all heck, especially the scene with the gruff and huge pigman with a heart of gold. I think he was an orc leader, that was the impression I got. And he is just one of a cast of likeable characters.

And you cannot have an Isekai without the lead girls fawning over the lead. But at least this time its for laughs and due to the leads feminine figure, the girls love to dress him up. But outside of this silliness, there are some mature moments of the town being built and growing. The lead especially misses life in his old . . . well, life and sometimes tries to recreate happy things like festivals and Christmas.

This was a fun casual little show to watch and I will admit, I fell in love with the characters and plan to watch the main series sometime in the future. No in the near future but in the future.

15# Horimiya

I saw this before and it is one of the more charming High School Drama/Comedies I’ve seen. I was going through Isekai fatigue and needed a break from the genre. The other genre I enjoy is rom-coms, I’m a sucker for this silly BS.

This series is about a loser who is secretly cool and one of his classmates finds out he is actually kind of cool. And this classmate is, of course, the popular girl and through her, the guy’s high school life improves. He meets all kinds of colorful characters, makes friends, and it's just a fun time. There are moments of drama but they are handled swiftly and we get back to the fun in no time.

I recommend it for those who like the rom-com genre. It’s a personal fav.

16# A Sign of Affection

So, years and years ago in college, I learned sign language as an elective. I will be damned if I remember any of it but I remember enjoying the class. This is a fun show about a deaf girl going to college and meeting a linguistic major who is fascinated with “her world without sound.” And this college guy is, of course, a suave pretty boy who is absolutely smitten with the lead.

And the lead is so dare cute you can’t help but see why the guy falls for her. It is interesting how the two leads communicate and overcome adversity to form a bond. It is a very slow and charming little show. And the animation is less cartoony then most anime, which adds to its more mature romance.

17# A Condition Called Love

This was the creepiest romance anime I have ever seen. Now, it’s not meant to be creepy. The romance is played straight and spoilers, nothing bad happens to anyone. And I’m going to try to articulate what it is about this series that puts me on edge.

It is about a high school girl who befriends a handsome boy from her school and the guy just got dumped. The girl wants to know what romance is like and the boy offers to be her “trial boyfriend” meaning they can break things off anytime with no hard feelings. And the relationship is on a time limit.

Now, the guy always does things that are supposed to be sweet and endearing but his actions skirt the line of “stalker” real easily. Now, since the story was written as a romance and not a thriller, the guy doesn’t do anything harmful. In fact, he is shown as someone vulnerable with a social disorder and super emotional. And there are aspects of his home life where I did sympathize with his situation. And I understand why being in a relationship with the girl means so much to him.

It’s just that I have seen plenty of thrillers play out exactly how the guy acts in this story and at the drop of a hat, things take a turn. Luckily, nothing bad happens. It’s just that this anime gave me some unsettling vibes at times. It could have easily been a thrill.

18# My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999

The gamer romance genre is pretty big in anime. Anime and video games have a lot of crossover in the geek community. So I am not surprised that there are romances about people who game becoming romantically involved.

So, the story follows a hot college girl whose gamer boyfriend dumps her. He does so after she joins him in playing an MMORPG and then he meets another girl in the game, cheats with her, and does the dumping on the lead. MMORPGs, or Massive-Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games, have a rich history of people meeting, making connections, and wild shit going down.

Heck, my favorite tale from MMORPG history is when World of Warcraft had a massive glitch happen, called the Corrupted Blood Incident, which mimicked a deadly pandemic. And researchers of pandemics saw similarities in this incident with COVID-19. When you get a massive group of people together online, sometimes things happen that will mirror real life.

So, this college girl gets dumped, she still plays the game and then she meets one of the best pro-gamers ever, coincidence after coincidence happens, and things take off romantically. It’s a slow burn romance too, the guy she falls for is handsome but a loner and his affection for her takes time.

It’s a cute story that does very little with the gaming aspect. Yeah, they play the game and make friends but this is more about the two leads meeting in real life and falling for one another. Oh, and the guy is still in high school. Now I’m not sure how often a college girl falls for a High school boy but I guess it could happen.

The fact that the guy is handsome but also a boss at gaming seems like a cheat skill to me.

19# Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines!

So a high school guy who is a light-novel enthusiast witnesses two of his classmates in a restaurant having an argument. The girl then gets dumped and her ex-boyfriend runs off to confess to another girl. The girl who gets dumped then notices the lead guy and shenanigans ensue.

The lead meets two other girls who are losers in love and this becomes a cynical romance story. But it is a fun and wacky kind of rom-com too without it being mean spirited and malicious. I like some rom-coms that try to hate on relationships and love but fall into the same traps as lovey-dovey couples. This also has the makings of a harem anime but most of the girls who make connections with the lead are basically platonic friends.

The animation in this one was pretty top notch for the genre. Usually such flewed and lively movement is reserved for action series. It was surprising how active this laid back rom-com is compared to others in the genre.

And the lead just can’t catch a break. I like it when a character has fate just dunk on them. This was a fun watch to enjoy.

******End of Part Two******