You're listening to the After Hours Arc, your
new anime podcast. My name is Antai, and I'll
be your host. Join me as I review, recap, and
relive anime, one arc at a time. And as always,
these are all from a manga -free point of view.
And for tonight's episode, as the title says...
This is going to be my winter 2026 roundup. I'll
get into what worked for me, what didn't, what
I wanted to work, and what was so bad that I
couldn't even finish it. I will say, going into
this winter season, I really only had my eyes
on two animes. That would be Jujutsu Kaisen Season
3. and Freerun Beyond Journey's End Season 2.
Those were the ones that I was genuinely excited
about. Everything else, I was considering a bonus.
And honestly, I always feel a little better knowing
that I have a couple shows that I can count on.
It's like having a little safety net for my watch
list. Although this season was really good. I
feel like there were a lot of bangers. I definitely
wasn't trying to watch everything this winter
season. I was more of, if it lands, great. If
not, I'm all set. That was the kind of mindset
that I had going into it. And that actually shaped
how this season ended up feeling for me as a
whole. Looking back, this winter was all about
chill vibes. Jujutsu Kaisen was easily the heaviest
thing on my watch list. But everything else settled
into this unexpected comfort. I love fantasy.
That is not new for me. that I was being gravitated
towards. You know, it's really funny how your
mood can shape your watchlist without you noticing.
Almost every single show on my watchlist from
this season was fantasy themed, but I was enjoying
these quieter worlds with this slower pacing.
I didn't mind that the stories weren't about
escalation. It was all about atmosphere and reflection
and sitting with yourself. That was the vibe
I went for this season, for sure. And this episode
specifically isn't going to be necessarily ranking
or deep diving these shows. I will put together
some reviews at some point. I just wanted to
give my take on what this winter season did for
me. Basically diving into why the stories mattered
and what resonated. So the first one I'm going
to bring up is A Gentle Noble's Vacation Recommendation.
And this show kind of wandered into my watch
list. I didn't even realize that it had started
airing in January. I had just hit play one night,
not even thinking it was part of the winter lineup.
But when I googled it and found out it came out
in January, it absolutely belongs here. It definitely
counts. I really love when a show sneaks up on
me. Sometimes some of my favorite shows came
from ones I did not expect. They were a random
click or I had literally judged them by the cover.
This one felt almost like a hidden gem. With
all of the new releases. This wasn't anything
I expected it to be. I really had no idea. I
knew it obviously was going to be an isekai.
I knew that. But what it was was very binge friendly.
In one of the most calmest ways possible. It
was very much a true walk and talk anime. Very
low key. And I remember first watching it and
going in, I figured it would be the standard
fantasy trope. Nothing special, nothing to write
home about. But the first episode immediately
told me otherwise. Watching the main character
Liesel calmly walk down some cobblestone street
in this city, it felt so natural. that I thought
I wasn't on the first episode or I had skipped
ahead. But that was the whole vibe for the show.
And they let me know right away. So once that
clicked, it really worked for me. And I really
love when a show isn't in a hurry. It was almost
asking me to slow down and pay attention. And
not just because it was subtitled. Sometimes,
though, slowing down is exactly what I need,
so this was a show that really did a lot for
me. It is very calm. I wouldn't consider it boring,
but definitely calm. It's almost inviting you
to exist in its world instead of pulling you
towards some constant conflict. It is also very
BL -coded. Even though it's not officially a
BL, I read somewhere that it was confirmed. It's
not. But the vibes are vibing, if you know what
I mean. The relationships just feel so natural
and fluid. I just love how all the boys fawn
over Liesl. Studs specifically. This is one I'm
going to work on doing a full -on review for.
For sure. Because I really enjoyed it and I want
to get into all of the characters and designs.
It was a really fun surprise. And I consider
this to be a happy little accident for myself.
Definitely not what I was expecting. I definitely
picked up on the BL vibes almost immediately.
It made the show a little more comforting. Like
the relationships were being built on distrust
instead of some drama. That said, it can be very
slow paced. To me, Freerun is still the gold
standard for this type of walk and talk fantasy.
I think that is a really hard bar to reach. And
I also don't feel like this show is trying to
be Freerun. To me, there are key differences.
A gentle, noble vacation recommendation is all
about rest, where to me, Free Rin is all about
reflection. This show is perfect for people who
enjoy the journey a lot more than the destination.
If you're looking for a lot of high stakes action
and drama, This one is probably not for you.
I think I'm definitely a journey person, especially
this season. I really enjoy stories that just
let me walk alongside them. By the time I finished
it, I didn't even realize I had been craving
a show like that. And it turns out this wasn't
the only one to hit that comfort zone for me.
This one is all about escaping the grind. The
next one I'm going to bring up is all about bringing
it with them. It is time to talk about Isokei
Office Worker. The other world's books depend
on the bean counter. This one I actively sought
out. I kept seeing people talk about it as a
BL, and that immediately had my attention. The
title made me think it would be a standard isekai
though, like really nothing noteworthy. And honestly,
I'm not really someone who jumps on shows just
because they are trending. There are so many
titles that I have not gotten into yet that are
so popular, like Attack on Titan or Chainsaw
Man. There's a huge list. I have a really big
watch list, so I am working on it. But this one
kept popping up and I just couldn't resist. And
when I got into it, there was already two episodes,
so I didn't miss out on too much. And what this
actually was, was a slow burn, feel good romance
that really understood The whole concept of pacing.
Watching it had me grinning ear to ear for most
episodes. I just remember thinking how happy
I felt for the characters, especially when the
romance is building so naturally. The relationship
between Arish and Soichiro works. And it works
because it's patient. It is building naturally
without rushing anything emotional, which I think
really worked well. There is something so satisfying
about watching two people get to know each other,
seeing the little moments add up. I also loved
how Soichiro's office worker mindset is the foundation
of his character. I like that they respected
it rather than played on it for jokes. And I
will say, I genuinely don't have anything bad
to say about this anime. It exceeded all of my
expectations and then some. I was so surprised
with how much I enjoyed it. It was so good. This
is definitely for people who love a slow burn
romance and very character driven stories. But
going from surviving the grind to being consumed
by it. Let's get into Darkmoon the Blood Altar.
Which looked like something I should have loved.
The character designs I thought were incredible.
And I do not mind a werewolf vampire story as
long as it's done well. I really thought that
this would be my kind of show. The visuals were
just so good. The vampires were so cool looking.
And I was really ready to add some supernatural
drama to my watch list. Give myself some variety.
But sometimes, even if a show checks all the
boxes, sometimes it just doesn't work. And I
made it all the way to episode 7. But by then,
I knew it wasn't for me. The pacing felt so slow.
And without depth, the conflicts felt so predictable.
And really, it felt like these same conversations
just kept repeating themselves. I really kept
hoping it would pick up, but it never really
did. It's tough when you want to like something
and it just doesn't work. I tried really hard.
I gave it way more episodes than I should have.
And I thought maybe at first it was the accents.
So I ended up switching to the Japanese because
I did find the British accents to be a little
bit distracting. But even switching to the Japanese,
that could not fix the lack of substance that
was missing from the show. It was so frustrating
because I really was excited about the vampires.
They had so much potential. There was one specifically
I couldn't wait to find out more about. I'm pretty
sure he was a hybrid. He had blue hair and two
different colored eyes, which I am a sucker for
that. But the visuals weren't enough to keep
me interested. I just literally couldn't have
cared less. And like, I'm not gonna lie, it felt
like a huge waste of time. Like, I am not getting
those episodes back. And I don't always need
depth and real connection, but this just didn't
fit any category that would work for me. So going
on from that and into Freerun, I wanted to put
the Darkmoon in the middle because it's just
such a negative vibe from me. So I think picking
up the vibe with Freerun is going to be a good
call. Free Rin Season 1 hooked me immediately.
And I had already talked about it in the Free
Rin Season 1 review that I did. I'll put a link
in the description if you want to check that
out. But I talked about how I cried like a baby
during the first episode. Like, literally sobbed.
It was so intense. But the fact that it stayed
with me that long after it ended... made me so
excited for season two, more than anything else
that was going to be airing this winter, more
than Jujutsu Kaisen. There's just something about
the way that it handles loss and memory that
just really hits different. Season two felt way
more reflective and growth -driven than season
one. I mean, the animation was absolutely stunning.
And once I adjusted to the Japanese voice cast,
I was locked in. And I had said in my season
one review that I'd only watched season one in
the English dub. I was familiar with the Japanese
voices from playing the Solo Leveling Arise mobile
game. Downloaded it for my PC. And they did a
collaboration with Free Rin. When I played with
Stark and his Japanese voice came on the screen,
it was a little surprising. But it also introduced
me to what they sound like. So I was not surprised.
But I definitely had this expectation of how
the journey looked with the English dub. It's
not that the Japanese isn't good. It's actually
really good. It just took me a little bit to
get over. The Himmel Memoirs episode sold me.
His Japanese voice is perfect. And I'm probably
going to end up watching season one in the Japanese
with the subtitles just because I feel like I
did miss out. I know I'm one big contradiction,
but it has me feeling all sorts of ways. Getting
away from voice actors for a second. I do love
how the show uses silence. and scenery to also
tell the story. Those quiet moments sometimes
say way more than actual dialogue for me. I think
it's done so beautifully. And this season specifically,
their production has just gone up without changing
the integrity of the characters, I feel like.
I've been very happy with how season two looks
as far as quality and pretty much what they've
been producing as far as material. Where I don't
read manga or light novels, I don't actually
know what's going to happen. I'm really going
on the journey with them. But I feel like they're
doing such a good job laying down the groundwork
for what is going to be coming. It keeps getting
me excited for every episode. Because each episode
deepened the story more. And we keep getting
these small moments with Stark. He was using
the same stance that he ended up seeing in season
one when he was fighting that demon. What was
her name? Lena. That whole deal where she was
mimicking Aizen's movements. That was everything
for me. I immediately recognized it. And that
is what I appreciate. Because it felt like the
show was rewarding me for paying attention. It
was those little details. Breedrun tells its
story in a way that really puts a lot of trust
in the viewer, I think. It's very quiet without
being boring. And it's also reflective without
being too heavy. And while it wasn't my number
one anime this winter, it absolutely reminded
me just how powerful intentional storytelling
can be. A couple of these animes I had turned
on to my co -worker that I've brought up a couple
times, and one of them was the Isekai Office
Worker, which she loves. She can't believe how
good it is. The other one was Free Wren. And
she's not the biggest walk and talk fantasy kind
of girl. She's definitely a shonen girl. She's
a battle shonen girl. But she is totally hooked
on Free Wren. So I think it's just one of those
shows that really can bring you if that's the
type of person you are. If you value the journey,
then you're going to appreciate all the steps
that they take in telling the story. And where
Free Rin eases you into the idea that life is
fleeting, Jujutsu Kaisen doesn't ease you into
anything. It throws you straight into the chaos.
And Season 3 really did that. I was so excited
for this season. Season two, especially the hidden
inventory arc, is what really hooked me. There
really is something so amazing about having a
show that you can look forward to every week.
I had so many this winter season, like I feel
spoiled. And emotionally, this was probably the
heaviest show that I watched all winter. The
Culling Game demanded my full attention. And
even then, all the rules could still be really
confusing. I was constantly forgetting or confusing
all the rules every single time they brought
one up. It was like it was the first time I was
hearing it. Sometimes I would have to pause and
rewind just to keep up. It's just so intense.
But that also was part of the fun. There was
so much going on and for most of the episodes,
it had my full attention. Technically, while
I am recording this, it is not done. But I'm
not going super deep into this because I have
a dedicated recap for the series. And I'm going
to be doing one for episode 12. And I'm also
going to do how I felt about the season and where
I think the next part is going to take us. So
I won't get into it too much here. I have just
been really enjoying the ride. The visuals have
been stunning. The fights have gone so hard.
They've been incredible to watch. The Higuruma
and Yuji fight was by far... One of the peak
moments for me. The Maki -Zenin massacre was
by far the second. Probably tied with Choso and
Naoa's insanely hot fight. I know people hate
him. I just couldn't believe how cocky he was.
Brushing his hair back while fighting. It was
so good. I loved every second of every fight
that they gave me this season. It really delivered
for me. Even if I didn't fully get all the game
mechanics, it really made me feel like I have
to rewatch from season one. I feel like I missed
out on so much. I'm so confused a lot of the
times until it kind of starts to click. Maybe
that's why they continue to bring up the rules
so many times. But moving on from that, there's
another one I'll get into that I just did a like
20 minute review of how I felt. I didn't really
break down specific arcs per se. I did kind of
walk through it, but it wasn't super deeper detailed.
That is something that I am working on with this
podcast is learning how to better organize my
thoughts and not have as short of an episode.
I feel like they come and go so fast. And I want
to produce something more. I want to actually
feel like I'm having a conversation. So I will
briefly touch on this. Because looking back,
the show definitely wasn't as bad as Dark Moon.
But the story shift came way too late for me
to fully invest. Sometimes it is just a timing
thing. There's really good material and a fantastic
concept. But compared to the other shows that
I watched this season, I feel like the end definitely
lacked consistency. For me, the winter season
really did surprise me. I didn't set out to watch
comfort heavy fantasy. But that's where I landed,
and I am definitely okay with that. I already
know that's the lane that I like to stay in.
Although I have a pretty eclectic taste, there
really isn't anything I don't get into. As long
as it's not mecha, like, Gundam shit, I'm all
set. But I realize that, like, I needed stories
that let me breathe. Sometimes you don't. And
a lot of the times for me, when I'm watching
TV, this is my escapism. This is my decompression.
So as much as I love intense action scenes, because
visually it's stunning, not every show needs
to be about escalation. Sometimes it's okay to
just sit with the story, I feel. If you've made
it this long, I appreciate you. Thank you for
spending your time with me. The next review I
plan to do is going to be a full walkthrough
through the ICK office worker. The Otherworlds
books depend on the bean counter. It's so fresh
in my mind. I can't wait to get into that one.
As you could tell from this one and probably
if you've listened to other episodes of mine,
I know I've brought this up a lot, but it's so
good. I know I said I was going to bring up what
my spring titles were going to be, but really
the only one that I can watch because I'm not
caught up with a lot of the other seasons is
that Witch Hat Atelier, which I've brought up
a couple times that I'm super excited to get
started. And that is going to be my new recap
as soon as the Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 one ends.
So tune in Friday for the last one of that. Until
next time, I'll see you then.