52 Anime in 52 Weeks: September

ComicCon Africa fell in September this year, so I am honestly relieved that my anime challenge did not suffer and that it was one of the more successful months of the challenge. Even though this was one of the busiest months of the year for me and the rest of the year just follows suit. This is partially why I am only reporting my September progress now in December – I have been struggling with my time management and overall energy levels. 

My anime challenge of the year is to watch 52 anime in 52 weeks. That means one full anime from start to finish each week of the year one anime at a time. It seems easy but it has proven challenging as I have proven with previous posts. 

I personally start my challenge week on a Wednesday and end it on a Tuesday. Here is how September, weeks 35 to 39, of my 52-week challenge, went for me.

Week 35: 31st August – 6th September

I loved every moment of Fukigen na Mononokean. The Morose Mononokean was so relaxing to watch, and starting the month off with this peaceful show was a great decision. I want more of this; I might even say I need it. There are questions that have been left unanswered during my watch-through. So I will binge on the manga as soon as I can get my hands on it. Watching these boys help the spirits and interact with each other is pure bliss. My brother assumed it was a boy’s love piece but I corrected him. This is not yaoi nor shounen Ai. This is a pure slice-of-life watch with some wholesome healing and characters. I do recommend it, and I am waiting for a second season, but I will probably be disappointed. 

Week 36: 7th September – 13th September

Watching Mushoku Tensei: Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu took so much effort. I have watched the first part of season one quite a number of times now. When it was first released, when part 2 was going to come out, and then again with my fiance, who then went on to watch part 2 without me. So for week 36 of my 52 anime in 52 weeks challenge, I figured I would finally watch both parts one and two of Jobless Reincarnation. With each watch, and then finally watching and completing Part 2, I am liking Rudeus less and less. I am liking Eris more and more. The end of the second part made things intense and really set things up for a second season well. I am honestly not a big fan of the series and am debating whether I shall watch the second season when it releases. I did enjoy the second part more than the first, and I do like the side characters.

Week 37: 14th September – 20th September

Zero kara Hajimeru Mahou no Sho proved to be an anime I could watch in a single sitting. The Grimoire of Zero has some good characters, and I really enjoy the bond between Zero and Mercenary. This concluded as a stand-alone with one season, and I am happy with that. There were a few aspects of the plot line that felt forced, and some reveals were pretty much guessed at already. This is one of those anime that is enjoyable as long as you don’t think about it. Explanations in this one are lacking. 

Week 38: 21st September – 27th September

Parallel World Pharmacy finished airing recently, but I really wanted to watch it as a complete series. Seeing the adult male pharmacist, Pierre, cry got to me while I was watching and then again when I rewatched to get screenshots. I appreciated the way Isekai Yakkyoku starts with an overworked and exhausted researcher. I want one of his timers. I am still unsure whether I like Farma as the main character, though. The premise was entertaining, and I hope we get a second season, but honestly, I will be fine if this is a stand-alone series with one season. 

Week 39: 28th September – 4th October

For this week, I watched Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. With only 10 episodes, I was not sure if we would get enough time to get a decently told story. I have not played the Cyberpunk game so I was not sure what the concept would be. As normal, I went in blind. The storyline was excellent. The animation was gorgeous and the colours vibrant; it was truly visually gratifying to watch. The execution of the storyline could have been better. There were gaps where they expected their audience to know what was going on (I assume from the knowledge you would have picked up from the game). There were odd time jumps without explanation. When discussed in my anime WhatsApp group, we all agreed the pacing could have been better, the world-building was decent and sufficient enough, but overall, it would have benefited from expanding on the lore and plot points and having one to three more episodes in all. Overall, I enjoyed it, but it is not on my rewatch list.

Musings on the 52 anime in 52 weeks anime challenge:

I had planned to have a plan going forward for September and the rest of the year since they are such busy months. That did not go according to plan and I have continued the challenge not knowing what I shall be watching next. I have also spent quite a bit of time rewatching anime to get screenshots. I am really proud of myself for completing five anime for this challenge in September. 

I am slowly incorporating newer anime into the challenge as I work my way through my to-watch list and my on-hold list. I sometimes get bored or stressed with sticking to the older titles. Other times I just really want to watch a new title and be part of the hype. Like Spy x Family; which I watched in a single sitting (and am now watching season two). I am being selective in what anime I include in this list and I have watched more anime than this challenge calls for, but I do have titles that I am dedicating to this challenge.

Completion: 39/52 (75% completed)