Isn’t it wild that Masako Nozawa is appearing at a West Coast convention and you can join her meet and greet for $3500? Anyways, this is just one of the many recent developments I saw today.
Let me start with house keeping, it’s this kind of a post, sorry? First of all, the newsletter is pretty dead since over a year and half ago so that was that. I have links and pages dated 2023 that I have not linked anywhere. Slowly I’m trying to clean those up from my massive number of Chrome tabs. Only 3-400 more to go or something.
For anime, for what it is, the business that it is, you can check out a couple substacks. It’s nice that semi-pros are doing what I always envisioned to exist in the right way. That said I really should continue to write about my own niche–events, and seiyuu, around anime/game/manga etc.
I recently came back from a local convention (Kogaracon) and talking/overhearing some people who attend these events there are definitely a network of local school cons on top of the more profit-driven events. If you know one near you, it helps to support them by showing up. It’s also pretty relaxing to hit a con and be back home the same day, getting all the things you want.
I have a post written up for Kawaiikon and the fan event I helped run for Sally Amaki and Kana Ichinose. Hopefully that comes out before I start my next chain of events starting from Acen in a couple weeks. (This sentence weights on me more than you think.)
I should also put some thoughts down about the upcoming changing of guards with the josei seiyuu wave. I did have this few weeks of break so I can go back to recouping for things. Or rather, from Aceon onward I will be kinda busy for the rest of the summer–like after Labor Day basically.

This means I actually watched a lot of anime in March and April. I went back and basically finished Atri the anime. This season, I actually felt engaged with a number of the offerings. The last two seasons on the other hand was kind of a dull thing. Maybe it’s just I didn’t watch the shows I would enjoy. Or maybe I should watch more Netflix. Anyways, going to list some for this season that I am/will be/had been watching.
- Lazarus – The show they finally end up making after like 30 years, IDK. A huge miss to be dub only in legit stream means in the US though.
- Cinderella Grey – Other than Alexandros being there and breaking the combo of Umamusume signing the OP, it’s just as you’d expect. Which is great. Just like the EN game release date is now set.
- Witch Watch – Possibly my fav this season. It’s a romcom with a pop culture edge and Narichan nailed her role.
- Maebashi Witches – It’s a kids show that is dressed like a young adult, and it’s oddly amusing to me.
- Aharen-san – Not sure if I’ll continue in S2, probably will drop if I don’t have the time, given it’s getting stale already.
- Zatsutabi – It’s ok and one of the three chill anime girls-do-cute-things anime this season (Kadokawa).
- Summer Pockets – I might save this for later but it’s ok?
- Aru Majo ga Shinu Made/Once Upon a Witch’s Death – This production is too gucci to, uh, Drop(s).
- Ballpark de Tsukamaete – Too many baseball seiyuu in this. Also the subject matter is one I like. Oddly enough the main character is the one thing that sticks out.
- GQuuuuuuX – I enjoyed Beginnings enough, so it’s time to see what Tsurumaki has left for the rest of “us” who aren’t like myself. I mean it’s a gorgeous work already.
- Apocalypse Hotel – Sold me after 2 eps, just a matter of finding time to keep up.
- Takamine-san – Probably will still watch, if not to completion.
- YOUR FORMA – I have a Samsung tablet so this is actually something I can easily pull up on my TV. That said this show feels like a 2010s anime.
- Rock Lady – This is also an anime kinda made for me, so I feel obliged to continue.
- Anne Sherley – Surprisingly great, thanks to Honoka’s spirited performance and dialing the grating aspect of this brat to the right level.
- KOWLOON GENERIC ROMANCE – Also sold me from the start but I feel this is bait… I will wait for the season to end probably to finish.
- Ossan Kensei/From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman – I don’t like the harem aspect so not sure how far I’ll get…
- mono – the highest profile girls-do-cute-things anime this season (Aniplex). I probably will finish it but it’s like an inferior Yurucamp anime reminding you about Yurucamp.
- Meshi Umashi/Food for the Soul – The third or my favorite cute-girls-do-cute-things this season (PA Works). It’s the reunion of the Non Non Biyori creatives? It is also an original media mix.
- Yandere Elf – Takamiina in the lead role of this particular character niche that she seems to end up with every time? As an American I don’t even think it fits her that well, but maybe this is a cultural thing. It’s a trashy anime so I might not survive it, but it is short.
Speaking of shorts there is a Uma short and a Lycoris Recoil short, and others that don’t get wide distribution (Kaiju #8 and Frieren)? It’s been a while since I’ve followed so many in one season. Let’s see if I can keep this up.
If I don’t, it is because…Umamusume EN (Steam, and Android/iOS!), and for sure, Gakuen IDOLM@STER. I can’t play Sense for my life but I can play the other two just fine and it’s been a lot of fun. The game’s commu are super enjoyable and as someone who don’t bother most of the time it’s even gotten me to read (almost) all of it. The gameplay is a bit broken at time, and RNG at times, but it’s part of the game and they copied the right things from Slay the Spire, let’s just say.
With the first anniversary later this month I probably will be stuck in this gacha hell for some time. I hope I am not totally bankrupt lol. Uma EN will be right before AX, and AX as usual will conflict with the usual MLTD anniversary event. If Uma EN is going to be the first produce scenario from the JP game, it will be a huge time sink so I don’t know, it’ll suck for a while. At least I know early-game Uma is kind of skippable.
Anyways, feel free to say hi if I run into you at Acen, London, Berlin, Gakumas 1st HS, Dere Okinawa, LiSA NYC, AX, Ado NJ, 765AS, Animethon, Anime NYC, Anisama…and more…