I’ve been somewhat lazy about watching anime that isn’t Dragon Ball Z Kai lately, but here are some of the shows that I got around to seeing out of obsession or by making sure I was with friends to keep me going. As always, the scores are based on the quality of the show’s story, characters, animation, and whether or not I would recommend them to others.

Spice and Wolf (Season 2): 4/5
Holo and Lawrence’s interactions are still the best part of the show. The conversations never feel long or boring, and I still feel like I’m learning valuable real world lessons while being immersed in the show’s story and characters. This season explores Holo’s birthplace in a bit more detail, and this personal touch in the story made me much more invested in this season’s plot than the first season. Unfortunately, the ending is rather disappointing since it leaves the plot threads of Holo’s homeland unresolved, and while the romance is very sweet and cute, the ending leaves a lot to be desired. I can only hope that they’ll make a third season of Spice and Wolf because I would easily continue to watch the ongoing trade adventures of Lawrence and Holo.

Erased: 5/5
Erased is a fantastic show that has time travel in the same vein of Steins;Gate and Madoka Magica as the main character, Satoru, goes back in time to protect a girl from his childhood in order to prevent his mother’s death in the present day. Satoru is a very relatable character because of these goals he has, and the character development is really strong as a result. The present-day timeline in Erased is interesting and exciting, but I found myself much more invested in the past timeline of Satoru protecting Kayo because of how sweet and genuine their friendship becomes. The conclusion is excellent, layered and thematic, cementing Erased as a smart, enjoyable anime that’s absolutely worth watching.

Knights of Sidonia (Season 2): 4/5
The first and last episodes of season 2 of Knights of Sidonia fantastic, especially the final battle, which is exciting and epic to watch with great visuals and action set pieces. The middle, filler episodes aren’t awful by any means, but with that said they are a bit more light-hearted than the rest of the show, making it uncharacteristically silly and that can be a bit tonally jarring. I’m not a huge fan of the forced romance between Nagate and Izana, but these episodes do make Izana more likable. Ultimately, the filler episodes really serve to characterize newcomer Tsugumi, and that alone makes them worth watching even if they are a bit of a slog to get through The world building continues to be the main strengths of Knights of Sidonia, and the final battle is totally epic and awesome to watch, with exciting visuals and great music. The conclusion is open-ended much like in Season 1, but it makes me excited for a Season 3 even more.

Have any suggestions for what I should watch next? Let me know in the comments!