It's the anime that's based on manfra, not manga. (It's French, but inspired by Japanese manga.) It was never likely that I'd jump in halfway through a series and decide to start watching it regularly from that point on, but I quite enjoyed this episode.

I've noticed before that this show's themes and subject matter are often unusually European for anime. That's true here too. The main thing in the episode is a battle between the Inquisition and Cyfandir... and when I say "battle", we're talking the real thing. Opposing armies, a hail of cannonballs, magicians blasting enemy ships from the air, etc. Broadly speaking:

(a) The Inquisition is Europe, although you could also suggest parallels with the Roman Empire. It's based in Bome, the capital of the Estrie Kingdoms and all the different countries that comprise it, big and small.

(b) Cyfandir is led by Queen Boadicea and used to be protected by Merlin. Let me think about possible equivalents for that.

However it's also a shounen anime, so Boadicea is a hot turqoise-haired babe and about a hundred feet tall. I wouldn't mess with her. "Return home to your mothers at once. If you do not, your dead bodies will be piled as high as the sky."

Meanwhile the Inquisition baddies are silly, while the show's heroes don't appear until the second half. There are some "I am your brother" revelations and world-changing theories. Oh, and someone we meet was in the past tortured and blinded. It's a pretty good episode. It's managing to do epic history-shaping events (invasion of a country) without losing the personal level. It's got typically bold anime-like character designs. The heroes look like fairly typical shounen characters and are probably the least interesting bit of the episode, but there's nothing wrong with them.

I'm not planning to watch this regularly, but I wouldn't dissuade anyone else from doing so.

"The year is 1989. After the nation of Hinomoto was destabilized during the past World War, the rise of new technologies has enabled its revitalization. Modern engineering has given birth to aircraft, gasoline engines, and geomagnetic technology, revolutionizing transportation. Railroads have been rendered nearly obsolete and replaced by more efficient modes of transit. However, a group of lively 'Raillords' aims to renew the railroads' former glory. The Raillords, personified as energetic and spirited girls, act as humanoid control modules for their assigned railways. They meet in Ohitoyo City for the Raillord Summit, headed by Suzushiro, a Raillord from Manoka Railways. Together, the group capitalizes on its teamwork to get the railroads back on track, ushering in a 'new railroad age'."

In other words, anime girls in somewhat charming historical costumes wibble about nothing. The show looks like empty garbage.

Tsukenosuke gets bashed on the head and turns into Evil Tsukenosuke. This makes his face fall off, revealing a death metal demon face underneath. He steals people's potato chips. His pathetic evil actually made me laugh.

It's a gag anime about foods in a refrigerator. The anime airs within the Oha Suta children's morning TV program and will receive a simultaneous manga serialization by Kazumata Oguri.

It's on "worst of the year" lists, but that's not what's dissuading me from continuing.

Kazuya Kinoshita has just been dumped by his girlfriend, so he wallows in self-pity for a bit and then rents a girlfriend for 5000 yen an hour. She won't have sex. You're not showing her off to your friends. You just meet a pretty girl (Chizuru Mizuhara), pay her in cash and have a date together. They visit an aquarium. Kazuya's all mixed up about the whole "rental girlfriend" thing, so he leaves Chizuru an angry one-star review and then buys another date from her anyway. Another 5000 yen that he can't afford. She accepts. (Why? Does she need the money that much?) He then starts yelling at her in mid-date and... eurgh.

Later, there are misunderstandings and "boy and girl hiding together under the bedclothes at a hospital" scenes.

There's also a "Rent-A-Girlfriend Petit" super-deformed series of one-minute episodes, aka. "Kanojo, Okarishimasu Petit". I won't be watching that either.

I've already seen the original broadcast version of this season, which came out in 2016. This is almost exactly the same, but with tiny tweaks (many of which had already been in the Blu-rays) and an extra four-minute scene in the last episode that'll help set things up for Season 2.

Also, episodes have been stuck together so that they're all double-length. (The original was 25 episodes long, but its first episode was double-length already.)

It's a strong show and I'm planning to watch the sequel, so what the hell. Also, my brother recommended it. Subaru's misapprehensions about his isekai hero status are still amusing, while things get bloodier and even sinister when the deaths start happening. (Subaru's taking a bit too long to work it all out, in my opinion, especially for someone who's otherwise genre-savvy. But never mind.) Amelia and him are still lovely together.

Be warned: Subaru's in for a rough ride. Very, very rough.

It continues straight on from the end of Season 1, starting with the last scene of the Director's Cut. (I watched the 2018-19 OVA/movies in between, which was a mistake. They're quite good, but that wasn't the best place to watch them.)

Will bad things happen? Obviously. It's Re:Zero. There are more Sin Archbishops, one of whom can eat your name and memories. Friends fall, in different ways. Subaru tries to fix things by stabbing himself in the throat, but unfortunately his current resurrection save point doesn't go far enough back and he can't save the day that way. He's hit pretty hard by losing SPOILER.

It's a serious, sometimes gruelling show. It's very good. I've already fought my way through Season 1 twice (thanks to the Director's Cut), so there's no way I'm abandoning it here.

The animation's charming, with stop-motion robots that look as if they're made of little cardboard boxes. There's also a little robot ant and a gigantic robot bird pterodactyl thing that eats our hero. If this came on TV while I was in Japan, I'd probably keep watching since it's so entertaining to look at.

It's nothing special, to be honest. It's okay. Mildly diverting. However it's more of Laid-Back Camp, which was a delightful show, so I'll be continuing. Some episodes will be better than others, so I'm not fussed about this one.

It's set in the Outdoor Activities Club room, i.e. a corridor with a door. (The school hasn't blessed them with resources.) We learn that a tin of tuna can be useful in the world for distracting dangerous animals. I learned something, at least.