May is the month where I dedicate my blog to the world of anime! I’ve done this in various ways over the past few years, but for 2022, I decided to do something I normally wouldn’t do and dive into the spring anime season while it’s still fresh. I’m the type of person who prefers to binge watch shows as my memory is pretty terrible for single episodes, but there were just so many shows that caught my interest this season that I couldn’t wait for them to finish airing. I decided to turn this endeavour into some sort of “anime battle” to find some new favourites, so I spent my long bank holiday weekend watching the introductory episodes of 16 different anime from the spring season.
So, here we are! Welcome to the first round of Skylar-Mei’s Spring Anime Skirmish! I created 5 topics to grade each episode by and ranked each anime as I finished an episode before tallying up the scores to reach a number out of 50. The 10 anime with the highest scores will progress into the next round where I will watch episode 2, and the other 6 anime with the lowest scores will be dropped. Now you know the gist of my idea, here’s what I thought about the first episode of 16 new anime series featured in Crunchyroll’s Spring Season 2022!
All of these anime are brand new series and are all still currently being aired. I watched all these series in alphabetical order (as they are listed) to save time on deciding what I should watch next.
Aharen-san wa Hakarenai
Episode 1 starts off on the first day of highschool for our protagonist, Raido. In order to make a fresh start and not be ignored by his classmates due to his unfriendly demeaner, Raido tries really hard to interact with his peers, starting with the girl who sits next to him, Aharen-san. Despite his attempts, Aharen-san acts cold and distant which prompts Raido to try out multiple methods to get her to speak to him.
This first episode may be slightly on the silly side, but it was also super cute and a fantastic start a developing friendship between the two main characters. It seems like the next episode may present the first sign of conflict thanks to the post-credit clip which adds another layer to this anime.
Visuals: 7/10
Sound: 6/10
Characters: 8/10
Plot: 7/10
Interest in Ep.2: 8/10
Overall Score: 36/50
Dance Dance Danseur
Whilst attending his sister’s ballet recital as a kid, Jumpei becomes infatuated with ballet after seeing a solo male performer on stage. His parents eventually agree to let him take classes, but after the sudden death of his father, Jumpei is pressured into becoming ‘the man of the house’ and swaps out ballet for his father’s passion of martial arts. Many years later, Jumpei shows off his martial arts skills in class which hasn’t gone unnoticed by the girl he admires. She picks up on the ballet influences within his moves and later asks him to join her ballet school, but Jumpei is reluctant to give in to the passion he’s hidden for years.
This first episode contains a lot of information considering it’s only 20 minutes long. We learn a lot about Jumpei’s interest for ballet and also the reasons he had to try and brush it off, which makes for a strong start to this drama. Personally, I’ve never understood the appeal of dance, so I think other people may get something more out of this than I did, but it’s an interesting concept that’s started off well and I think this series could offer a lot of inspiration for others who may not feel like they can follow their passions.
Visuals: 6/10
Sound: 7/10
Characters: 7/10
Plot: 8/10
Interest in Ep.2: 5/10
Overall Score: 33/50
The Dawn of the Witch
The episode begins with our protagonist, Saybil, being picked up by a mysterious woman and taken to another world that is ‘more befitting’ for him. He ends up studying magic at the Royal Academy but his grades are lacking and the rumour of expulsion is making its rounds. When Saybil visits the head of the academy, instead of expelling him, she sends him on a quest to become a mage in a neighbouring witch village – but if he doesn’t prove his worth, he will lose all memories of the academy. What’s worse, he doesn’t remember his previous life either.
The Isekai genre can become quite repetitive once you’ve seen a few, and The Dawn of the Witch hasn’t shown anything spectacular so far. The introductory episode felt a little off in my opinion, the pacing was all over the place and I don’t fully feel like I grasped what was going on. At this stage, we still know very little about the characters or their objective and I feel like the second episode will jump straight into the action without feeling the need to explain any further.
Visuals: 6/10
Sound: 6/10
Characters: 5/10
Plot: 6/10
Interest in Ep.2: 4/10
Overall Score: 27/30
Deaimon Recipe For Happiness
When Nagomu receives a delivery of his family’s wagashi (Japanese sweets) accompanied by a letter informing him of his father’s hospitalisation, he returns to his family’s shop after 10 years in order to inherit the business. Upon arrival, he discovers not only that his father is actually fit and healthy, but also that a predecessor for the business has already been chosen – a ten year old girl named Itsuka. Nagomu learns that Itsuka was brought into his parents’ care by her father who then later abandoned her, and despite her being a hardworking, intelligent girl who is wise beyond her years, the lack of a father figure still plays on her mind. Nagomu’s mother then suggests that Nagomu himself should attempt to take on the role.
I really enjoyed this episode and I can already tell that the relationship between Nagomu and Itsuka is going to be special. Nagomu seems to be pretty useless when it comes to the wagashi shop, but he seems to understand how to support Itsuka and is pretty laid back about her inheriting the business. There also seems to be connections to music in this anime which is always a strong topic for me, so I feel like I’ll have a great experience with this one!
Visuals: 9/10
Sound: 8/10
Characters: 8/10
Plot: 7/10
Interest in Ep.2: 8/10
Overall Score: 40/50
The Greatest Demon Lord is Reborn as a Typical Nobody
The first episode was a decent introduction to this interesting take on an Isekai anime. After causing himself to live in isolation from the power he wielded, Demon Lord Varvatos longs for a life of normalcy. Reincarnated as typical villager boy, Ard, he attempts to make friends around the town whilst keeping his powers in check, but even after turning 10 years old, Ard still hasn’t reached his goal. When he stumbles upon a young girl practicing magic in the forest, he tries everything he can to befriend her, but only when she goes missing during an attack on the town does Ard show the full nature of his powers.
I’m not sure if this series is related to something else due to the brief introduction we were given, but nevertheless, I surprisingly enjoyed it. With the reverse Isekai theme, it makes it slightly different from other shows I’ve seen and I thought Ep.1 was a good start to the series, however, the end of the episode shows the of events several years later, so I’m assuming the rest of the anime will be taking a different turn.
Visuals: 7/10
Sounds: 7/10
Characters: 6/10
Plot: 6/10
Interest in Ep.2: 6/10
Overall Score: 32/50
Heroines Run The Show
Suzumi Hiyori begins a new life in Tokyo after leaving her small hometown to pursue her dream of joining a track team and participating in the nationals. Hiyori’s first day of school doesn’t go to plan as she unknowingly ends up being in the same class as two upcoming idols who aren’t all that friendly towards her. Financial trouble at home pushes Hiyori to find herself a job to pay for her own living expenses and she then finds herself being hired as said idols’ manager-in-training!
This is everything I want from an anime and more! I was originally introduced to HoneyWork’s virtual idol duo, LIPxLIP, due to my avid interest in utaite, so I already knew I was going to love this since I’m familiar with their media. The casting of Minase Inori as Hiyori was perfect and I thoroughly enjoyed the episode from start to finish. If you’re not into idols or J-Pop, then you probably won’t like this as much as I did, but the whole production was of fantastic quality!
Visuals: 9/10
Sound: 10/10
Characters: 9/10
Plot: 9/10
Interest in Ep.2: 10/10
Overall Score: 47/50
In the Heart of Kunoichi Tsubaki
Tsubaki has been raised as part of a ninja clan for girls who are taught that interactions with men are forbidden. One night, Tsubaki’s teammates break the rules and leave in search of men to beat up, showing that they are actually weak and not to be feared. Tsubaki goes out to bring her teammates home but she can’t help feeling very curious about the men they’ve attempted to find. After a close encounter, the girls flee back to the clan, but Tsubaki can’t seem to stop thinking about what men are really like which begins to get in the way of her training.
I have no idea where this anime is going after watching the first episode, but it’s clear that Tsubaki is becoming obsessed with finding out more about men despite the strict rules set by her teachers. Since her teammates believe that Tsubaki is actually afraid of men instead due to observing her during her training, I feel like this anime could be one of those that’s built up around a small misunderstanding.
Visuals: 7/10
Sound: 6/10
Characters: 6/10
Plot: 5/10
Interest in Ep.2: 5/10
Overall Score: 29/50
Love After World Domination
Fudo is the leader of Hero group, Gelato 5, who are given the task of preventing a secret evil society from achieving world domination. During their mission, Fudo faces the society’s leader, Desumi (a.k.a. The Reaper Princess), in battle but instead unexpectedly falls in love with her at first sight. When they meet again, Fudo confesses his feelings and they begin a secret relationship whilst their organisations remain enemies and continue their battle!
Even from the first episode, I can tell you that this show is one of the cheesiest, cringiest and silliest things I’ve seen in a long time and the whole premise just sounds completely absurd. However, the show is what it is because of these factors and I found it strangely enjoyable… although I’m not sure about the phony power rangers.
Visuals: 7/10
Sounds: 6/10
Characters: 6/10
Plot: 5/10
Interest in Ep.2: 5/10
Overall Score: 29/50
Miss Shachiko and the Little Baby Ghost
Fushihara is working overtime at her company alone in the early hours of the morning when she hears a creepy voice. Ignoring the voice, Fushihara continues with her work, but when her computer screen turns black with the word ‘leave’ being repeated over and over again, she decides to investigate the origin of the strange voice. To her surprise, she finds an adorable young ghost girl to be behind the messages, but when Fushihara makes it clear she isn’t going anywhere until her work is complete, the young ghost offers to help her.
I really wanted to like this episode, but it was very repetitive due to it showing the same event from both the characters’ perspectives but not really providing much else to the mundane scenario. Although there were moments that were super cute in places, the idea is actually quite depressing when you think about it. Why is only one woman is doing all the company’s overtime? Overall, I found the episode rather dull and it would have been much more interesting if it was shorter.
Visuals: 6/10
Sounds: 5/10
Characters: 5/10
Plot: 4/10
Interest in Ep.2: 3/10
Overall Score: 23/30
Requiem of the Rose King
The story is set during the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars over who controls the English throne in British history. The houses of York and Lancaster are at war over the throne, and protagonist, Richard, wants nothing more than to see his father, The Duke of York, crowned as king. Richard, however, is also struggling with a dark secret that has caused tension within the family.
This first episode was rather confusing to say the least. I’m not sure what is going on yet and all the events shown within this episode weren’t really explained, however, this series is expected to have 24 episodes so there’s plenty of time for matters to unfold. I really liked the art style in this anime, but I do think the animation quality could’ve been better.
Visuals: 8/10
Sound: 6/10
Characters: 5/10
Plot: 5/10
Interest in Ep.2: 6/10
Overall Score: 30/50
RPG Real Estate
The first episode sees Kotone, a 16 year old country girl, relocate to her nation’s capital city of Dali. First, she must find a place to live with the help of RPG Real Estate, but she has a very low budget which causes a few problems. When a suitable place becomes available, she then finds the right time to reveal that she will soon start working at the company alongside the three girls who helped her find her new home.
This is a great start to a cozy, slice of life anime with a fantasy twist. It had a similar feel to Is The Order A Rabbit, but with a real estate agent setting instead of a café. The characters all seem lovely and I think the story will be more about their friendship dynamic than having an actual plot point, which would work really well here, but I’m also interested to see how the real estate theme will fit in.
Visuals: 8/10
Sound: 7/10
Characters: 8/10
Plot: 6/10
Interest in Ep.2: 7/10
Overall Score: 36/50
Shikimori’s Not Just A Cutie
It’s the first day of Izumi’s 2nd year in highschool. As he leaves the house early in fear of being late, it’s soon apparent that Izumi has an extremely clumsy nature. However, Izumi’s girlfiend, Shikimori, is quite the opposite. Although she looks extremely cute, she also has a super cool, heroic side and does everything she can to protect Izumi from his everyday misfortune.
This slice of life anime had me hooked from the get go. Shikimori is one hell of a girlfriend and she seems so perfect for Izumi! Their relationship is really cute to watch and it’s also really refreshing to see the girl be the badass for a change, and this doesn’t bother Izumi in the slightest – in fact, he loves this about Shikimori the most! This is definitely an anime for any rom-com enthusiast!
Visuals: 9/10
Sound: 9/10
Characters: 10/10
Plot: 8/10
Interest in Ep.2: 10/10
Overall Score: 46/50
Skeleton Knight in Another World
A gamer awakens as his in-game character, a Holy Knight named Arc. Although he thinks his awakening as a strong knight with magical powers is quite an opportunity at first, Arc soon notices he has also acquired a skull for head thanks to his choice of an in game avatar. Arc sets out on his adventure and saves a noble girl and her maid from some bandits, making him the talk of the town, but he must keep his identity hidden if he is to live out his days in peace.
This series does have warnings attached to it and said warnings happen right in the first scene, so do be cautious. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this anime considering it’s of the Isekai genre, however, it did remind me slightly of one of my favourites, Goblin Slayer. Although there’s some pretty brutal scenes, there’s also decent amount of comedy and I actually really liked Arc as a character – being voiced by Tomoaki Maeno also helped!
Visuals: 8/10
Sounds: 8/10
Characters: 8/10
Plot: 7/10
Interest in Ep.2: 7/10
Overall Score: 38/50
Spy X Family
Twilight is a secret agent and master of disguise. His latest mission is to investigate Desmond, the headmaster of a prestigeous school and a man who is planning to start a war in Ostania. In order for Twilight to get close to Desmond, he must first become a family man with a wife and child who will be required to enrol at the school. Disguised as psychiatrist Loid Forger, he adopts a girl named Anya who he fails to realise is telepathic.
Now I see why this anime is so highly rated. Everything was done to perfection and Anya is an absolute gem! Not only do these two have an adorable bond in the making, but they would also make an incredible team and I honestly can’t wait to watch more, especially since a wife is now on the horizon. If you’re into noir and like some action with a sprinkle of comedy, this show is just what you need!
Visuals: 10/10
Sound: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Plot: 10/10
Interest in Ep.2: 10/10
Overall Score: 50/50
Tomodachi Game
The first episode introduces a group of friends who find themselves in a predicament when the funding for an upcoming school trip is stolen. The protagonist, Yuichi, receives a strange letter and is led into a trap, leading the 5 friends to awaken in an empty room where they are met by the creepy late night anime character, Manabu. The group are made to participate in a series of games to pay off their debt, but although these games may seem simple, something is out to test their friendship.
Although the premise seems generic, I was strangely drawn into the idea and I’m interested to see more, but as a stand alone episode, it didn’t especially stand out. I don’t think one episode of this anime is enough to really test if it’s any good as it ends just as the result of the first game is about to be announced, but this cliff hanger did pique my interest.
Visuals: 6/10
Sound: 6/10
Characters: 6/10
Plot: 8/10
Interest in Next Episode: 8/10
Overall Score: 34/50
Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games Is Tough For Mobs
The story begins with our protagonist being blackmailed into playing an otome game by his little sister. As our sleep deprived protagonist finally finishes the game, he drearily attempts to reach the convenience store, but ends up falling down the stairs of his apartment block. He awakens in a land of picturesque countryside and instantly recognises where he is… He now has to live out his life as Leon Fou Bartford in a place he despises – the world of the otome game he just played.
Despite this episode being the first one in the series, it felt like a filler episode. Aside from using his knowledge of the game to search for what he needs, nothing else seemed particularly relevant. I’m not really sure that this anime is aimed at fans of otome games, but I’ll need to see another episode to make up my mind as it seems the real story is about to begin.
Visuals: 7/10
Sound: 6/10
Characters: 5/10
Plot: 6/10
Interest in Next Episode: 8/10
Overall Score: 32/50
Now that I’ve watched all the episodes and scored them all individually, it’s time to put them all in order by score! First, here’s the 10 anime that will be making to through to the next round followed by the 6 that didn’t make the cut!
Progressing to Round 2
Spy x Family: 50/50
Heroines Run The Show: 47/50
Shikimori’s Not Just A Cutie: 46/50
Deaimon Recipe For Happiness: 40/50
Skeleton Knight in Another World: 38/50
Aharen-san wa Hakarenai: 36/50
RPG Real Estate: 36/50
Tomodachi Game: 34/50
Dance Dance Danseur: 33/50
Trapped In A Dating Sim: 32/50
Dropped:
The Greatest Demon Lord Is Reborn As A Typical Nobody: 32/50
Requiem of the Rose King: 30/50
Love After World Domination: 29/50
In The Heart of Kunoichi Tsubaki: 29/50
The Dawn of the Witch: 27/50
Miss Sachiko and the Little Baby Ghost: 23/50
As you can see from the results, there was a tie for 10th place. I made the decision to put through the anime that scored highest in the “Interest in Ep.2” category since that was based entirely on how much I wanted to see then next episode. Therefore, Trapped In A Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough For Mobs, beats The Greatest Demon Lord Is Reborn As A Typical Nobody by a fraction and moves to the next round (why did it have to be the two with the longest titles?)!
That’s the end of the Spring Anime Skirmish: Round 1! This is has been a super long post, but I had a lot of fun creating it and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading. I’m looking forward to starting Round 2 very soon where I’ll be pairing these anime up and making them battle it out head to head over episode 2! I also have another little addition to the next round too, so stay tuned for more anime content coming soon!
gamergal.exe 
I’m glad you seem to enjoying the season so far! I think it’s been a really good one, especially with me being such a big rom-com fan. Nice post and I look forward to seeing more!
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This season has been so much better than the previous ones! I love rom-coms too which is probably why I’m enjoying it so much, but I think the quality in general has been amazing this year. I’m looking forward to watching more soon 😀
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Spy x Family is definitely my favourite of the season so far! I also had a similar reaction to Trapped in a Dating Sim – I thought it was going to be targeted towards an audience of otome fans, but it feels like it was written by someone who doesn’t actually like or even understand otome games. I will say that it picks up as it goes on, but it’s definitely no ‘My Next Life as a Villainess’.
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I still haven’t managed to watch any more episodes but I’m definitely looking forward to Spy x Family the most! I’m glad I’m not the only one that thought Trapped in a Dating Sim was going to be something else entirely. I felt quite disappointed after watching the first episode, but I’m still kind of intrigued to see where it goes 😁
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