Yes, I know. It's practically the end of 2018, and here I am writingabout my 2017 'best N'. This is a rather delayed entry, and unlike lastyear's best N it's not because I have conflicted feelings;I just got lazy and let it slip and slip and slip. Not writing things iseasier than writing things, after all.

Because this is significantly delayed, I probably have a somewhatdifferent perspective on 201

As before it's time (and well past time) for my nolonger early views of how this season has shaken out so far, followingup on my first episode reactions . This isanother slow season for me, but I'm happy with what I'm actively watching.

Excellent:

• SSSS.Gridman : This is the standout show of the season for me, but notbecause of the kaiju fights; it's everything else that I really like,especially the character drama. There are all

As before I'm collecting here all of mytweeted reactions to the first episodes I've seen (in the order that Isaw them).

• Thunderbolt Fantasy S2 episode 1: I can't figure out if Shang wasreasonably smart, rather stupid, or both at once. Also, this didn'tquite start with the bang that I was expecting; this was more setupthan anything else. ♯

• That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime episode 1: I enjoyed this asgoofy, over

On Twitter I've been periodically calling Revue Starlight 'theatrical'.Perhaps surprisingly, I'm not talking about its swordfight segments,where people duel each other on fantastical settings while also (perhaps)singing about it; that's actually one of the least theatrical elementsof Revue Starlight , in the sense that I have in mind.

In most shows, even ones that are fantastical or aren't set in thisworld, the events and actions we see are intended to be real within theshow'

Once again it's time for my traditionallook back at what I watched in this past Summer season, to followup on my early impressions and my midway views . As in the spring, this is a pretty easy wrap-upsince I only watched three shows all the way through this season.

Excellent:

• Planet With : The show always wore its heart on its sleeve, and onthe whole I think it worked, but I was left feeling that it went a bittoo fast at the end. The

I seem to have settled on a pattern of first episode reactions , early impressions around the fourth episodemark , and these 'midway' views about two thirds of theway through the season (so around episode eight). This point is far enoughinto the season that most shows have settled into their course and I havepretty solid opinions on them, which makes it a good time to take stock(and sometimes to admit that I've dropped some of them, although not thisseason).

Excellent:

• Planet

As before it's time for my relatively early viewsof how this season has shaken out so far, following up on my firstepisode reactions . At this point I'm three orfour episodes into everything I'm still watching, which is long enoughfor the shows to have shown their cards.

Excellent:

• Planet With : This is a great show and very much one of the kinds ofthing that I enjoy. All sorts of things are happening and the show'sdefinitely not making us wait around

Once again it's time for my traditionallook back at what I watched in this past Spring season, to follow upon my early impressions and my 'midway' views . Even if I was lazy about it, this is an easywrap-up because I only finished two shows, each excellent in theirown way.

• Sword Art Online Alternative - Gun Gale Online : This had many goodaspects that I could rave about, but above all it was pure fun fromstart to end (they even managed to

As before I'm collecting here all of mytweeted reactions to the first episodes I've seen (in the order that Isaw them). This is a sparse season for me.

• Cells at Work! episode 1: That was reasonably fun and amusing, butthe basic conceit feels like it's a one-episode show. I guess I'llsee if next episode can do anything particularly novel and interesting. ♯

• Planet With episode 1: That was simultaneously quietly fun (and funny),