Do you even have the time anymore?

That’s a question I’ve been asking a lot recently. I’ve recently returned to full-time work, and though I know that is no excuse whatsoever, my time spent with anime is dwindling. And I can’t really explain why either.

My plans for Anime Solstice for this year remain the same though. I want to do my Revolutionary Girl Utena post project, and I want to get this “Everyone is Telling Me to Hate” project going. A part of me is even looking forward to watching the torture that is Mahouka all in one ago again. So has it really been this season that has done a number on me?

I think perhaps what it has been is that I had been so engrossed in watching the current season’s anime for so long, that I had somewhat forgotten about everything else. I had a real ball writing my Otaku Theater column for The OASG, and so now I’ve stepped away from that and feel this new freedom to watch whatever show I want when I want*, it is just…strange.

(*I know this sounds absolutely nuts to a lot of anime viewers, but bearing in mind that seasonal anime was pretty much the only thing I watched for over 10 years…)

Let us have a quick look at what this Winter 2024 has for us. A lot of us will be turning to Netflix’s acquisition of Dungeon Meshi, which they have renamed as Delicious in Dungeon…for some reason. It’s a 2-cour show, and it’ll be something I’ll need to sink my teeth into. I think Studio Trigger might be in that weird position where they are considering where to let their shows go to first. Two reasons why I think this:

1. Their last show, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, a co-production with CD Projekt RED, is a Netflix exclusive. Details on when their new version of Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt are very sketchy as of time of writing, and their most recent movie, Gridman Universe, still has no Western release date (again as of time of writing).
2. Episodes for Dungeon Meshi are being released at the same time in the West as they are in Japan. Netflix have only ever done this once, with Violet Evergarden. Trigger obviously know the West are an audience to be reckoned with.

Another show I have my eye on is Metallic Rouge, by Bones. And yes, people are already putting out theories and conspiracies that Bones’ other shows set on Mars, Cowboy Bebop and Carole and Tuesday, are all set in the same universe and/or timeline. I personally would consider that pretty awesome, although I honestly don’t think so at all.

So, two shows. Everything else this season has been a hard no for me. And although I know that’s not really an unusual thing for an anime viewer to do, it’s often been the case that I feign interest in at least 6-8 shows. But even though I say that, I don’t consider this Winter season to be a weak one at all. It is giving us a lot of shows that a lot of viewers will watch, love and appreciate. I think when the Spring season comes, I’ll be onto a lot of shows…and I mean a lot.

Both Yuru Camp and Sound! Euphonium are coming back for their third seasons. Production I.G are giving us an epic-looking action show about kaijus in modern-day Japan (Kaiju No. 8), and even my beloved Mahouka is getting its third season too. And of course there’s the fact that the Demon Slayer and My Hero Academia hardcore fans have new content to chew on. I just cannot believe that My Hero Academia is in its seventh season, plus a fourth movie is coming out later this year. At this rate, I think Bones will consider the MHA franchise done and dusted when Deku retires from his salaryman job.

This blog is important to me, even if not many people read it. I’m able to vent some frustrations and put out some ideas about how anime has come to me and affected me over the years. I do have my next post in a draft, so that’s something – a brand new “Everyone is Telling Me to Hate” post. I do think that the Utena post project will take a lot of research and time to complete though. And of course I won’t ever say no to a show review post. I will also say that there has been one other post that has been in draft for a while, but because of its very sensitive nature, I know I have to get it 1000% perfect before publishing it (yes, that’s a thousand, not a hundred).

So am I just making my full-time job an excuse to put this blog aside? It feels so wrong that I’m thinking like that considering how much time and effort I’ve put here. I am no journalist or professional reviewer either. I just type words onto a screen, and then mix them round to form sentences that make some kind of sense.