The 2025 winter anime season has been kind of underwhelming. I think the isekai genre (where the protagonist from our world is transported to another fantasy RPG world in most cases) has pretty much mined out the best stuff. The new isekai shows I'm enjoying are Zenshu, Welcome to Japan Ms. Elf, The Red Ranger Becomes an Adventurer in Another World, and The Daily Life of a Middle-Aged Online Shopper in Another World. Out of these, only Zenshu is really original with the animation magic of the protagonist, but I do find Ms. Elf nicely done as a slice-of-life combination with fantasy RPG adventuring. Red Ranger has a Power Rangers / Kamen Rider-like hero fighting in a fantasy universe and I have to say it makes fun use of the tropes from those shows in the fantasy environment. Middle-Aged Online Shopper is okay to watch once, but I'd never buy any merchandise or media for it. The rest of the isekai are pretty dull and I can't wait for the isekai boom to end to see other stuff get animated. Also, they've got to get rid of the slavery / bound servant aspects that are just power trips from the light novels these are adapted from - not good tropes to perpetuate.
On the other hand, there are a few fun fantasy RPG-like anime in I Left My A-Rank Party to Help My Former Students Reach the Dungeon Depths and I May Be a Guild Receptionist, but I'll Solo Any Boss to Clock Out on Time. These massive titles pretty much describe what these shows are about and I'll be glad when titles get shorter again. While I'm watching a few other shows, these are the highlights of the new stuff.
In terms of the second season plus shows, I'm watching Solo Levelling, The Apothecary Diaries, and Shangri-La Frontier. So there isn't exactly a dearth of entertainment, but nothing with Mecha (Aquarion doesn't cut it for me this season), and nothing new that really captures my imagination.
 |
| My cat with the figure boxes. |
My figure haul from Ami-Ami in Japan arrived a few days ago, and I'm quite happy with the figures. I bought four second-hand figures that arrived in unopened original packaging. The price was right as the figures cost me $40 Canadian and $30 in shipping. Still cheaper than buying it over here in Canada. I don't buy the expensive figures anymore as a general rule - it just costs too much, and I already have a good collection.
I picked figures from The Elusive Samurai and Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai this time to add to my collection. The Elusive Samurai was an enjoyable historical action anime and Rascal is one of my favourite modern-urban fantasy dramas like Haruhi. The Elusive Samurai manga is actually a manga series I would recommend people buy (I have it on Kindle) as it has plenty of extra plot nuggets and even historical info.
The Elusive Samurai is a historical action manga series set during Japan's warring states period. The story follows the young and clever Tokiyuki Hojo, a displaced heir to the Hojo clan, who uses his exceptional agility and cunning to evade his enemies and reclaim his family's capital at Kamakura. Rascal is set in a world where adolescence is fraught with mysterious phenomena known as "Adolescence Syndrome." A high school student named Sakuta Azusagawa navigates the complexities of teenage life and supernatural occurrences. The story takes a look at the struggles of growing up, dealing with one's insecurities, and the power of genuine human connections.
Anyhow, onto some detail about my "cheap" figures.
 |
| The items were well packed into the box. |
 |
| Tokiyuki Hojo as a cup noodle topper figure. This young lad is the Elusive Samurai who needs to learn how to lead and find brave comrades to fight at his side. |
 |
| Some nice box art. |
 |
| Shizuku Suwa, daughter of Yorishige Suwa. A shrine maiden who is wise and has magical powers to communicate with nature spirits. |
 |
| Side art on the boxes. |
 |
| Yorishige Suwa, the Shinto priest who rescues Tokiyuki from his family massacre and becomes his mentor so he can reclaim his heritage. |
 |
| The other figure I didn't get but it has a nice action pose. |
 |
|
| Mai Sakurajima is a famous teen-actress who has taken a break from her career to live a normal life. She is rescued from oblivion by Sakuta in the first few episodes of the series. |
 |
| Side art. |
 |
| My cat likes the shipping box. |
 |
| Here are the unboxed figures. It is funny that the priest is the biggest figure but came in the smallest box. |
 |
| The figures out of their wrap and assembled. |
 |
| Here are the Elusive Samurai figures. The priest is 1/8 scale and the children are also almost 1/8 scale. I think it is a happy accident that they were kids, so the size works out! |
 |
| The figures are nicely detailed for the price, although the skin is not painted. |
 |
| She looks good. The crown is a nice touch. |
 |
| The priest is quite plain and a heavy figure, but he completes the set in a nice way. He was also crazy cheap at 400 Yen. |
 |
| I really like this Mai figure in the sundress at the beach. It is a Luminasta figure and the quality is quite nice. There is even some painting for skin tones. The decals for the eyes are good, and the seams are well hidden. |
 |
| The figure captures her holding her hat and skirt down in a gust of wind. |
 |
| Closeup of Mai. |
That's pretty much all for now. See ya next time.
Other Anime Related Articles
Other Japanese Pop Culture Articles
Follow me on Twitter or Instagram at @Tostzilla or my feedburner.
Comments
Post a Comment