Originally I was on the fence about this anime because Dagashi Kashi 2 was coming and I can only handle so much anime about eating before I start to be hungry. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I watched this anime and realized that it’s about being a lush. There are so many mediums, but unlike Osake wa Fuufu ni Natte kara–Which is God-tier anime–this is one running joke about being alcoholics without calling it alcoholism. Not to mention, I wanted to jump through the screen to eat all of the delicious food that appeared on the screen including the tempura. It was a bit odd that in the summer they did not have the A.C. on, since Japanese summers are brutal, but hey, it made a cute joke.

The story follows Michiru who has just moved to Tokyo for a job change and lives in a sharehouse with three other women. When she meets Kae, she learns that her roommates are all drinkers, but Kae is a complete and total lush. This leads to Michiru hilariously revealing that she is a heavy drinker. We have a food porn/drink porn anime on our hands this season! One thing is sure, you should not watch this anime on an empty stomach. Just be sure not to drink Ebisu as there are much better beers in Japan.

I believe very few anime have moved me to tears in the first 20 minutes in my lifetime and so, I knew that my hot moment for the week had to involve one from this season that managed to do so, Violet Evergarden. Violet Evergarden is about an android named Violet, who was once a war machine created to cause destruction on the battlefield. When we come across Violet, she is bandaged up and resting in a hospital bed. She continually requests to see Gilbert, a man that she seems to talk about often. Violet is distraught about everything, but when Gilbert is mentioned, she calms down. Claudia continually mentions that Gilbert asked him to order Violet to go here and there, but it is evident that he is upset every time Violet asks about Gilbert. Throughout the episode, we hear some rather odd things about the relationship between Violet and Gilbert. She’s Gilbert’s dog. She has no purpose without Gilbert or the battlefield. It’s easy to get the feeling that Violet is just a thing that Gilbert used and her dependence on him shows codependence that we don’t really like to see.
Then we see the flashback of Violet and Gilbert on the battlefield. Violet attempts to save Gilbert, who is sitting and bleeding out on the floor, despite the fact that Violet doesn’t appear to have nay arms at this time. It is this moment in which we see that Gilbert actually loves Violet and she just does not comprehend that feeling, although it is obvious she feels it. It is at this moment that I really cried as I realized that Violet has no idea what has happened to Gilbert, but he insisted that Violet save herself despite the fact that she’s an android. I found this moment to be so moving. While everyone thought of Violet as Gilbert’s slave or his dog, Gilbert had respected Violet and loved her, despite Violet not being a living being.

Yay! We finally have another Shoujo Ai anime, and this time is not just a 4 minute stupid story to show 2 girls going naked and smooching. Citrus is a much anticipated anime that perfectly combines drama, comedy and the right amount of fanservice to remind you about this being a Yuri series. Yes, the first episode was good, but this second one is even better! Where should I start? For me, it was like a never ending run full of interesting moments and scenes that push the story forward. If you only want sexy time between cute girls, one of the best moments is when Yuzu and Mei take a bath together, but that’s not the only thing going on here. For me, the best part was Yuzu coping with her new situation, being the foster grandchild of a strict man who happens to be the director of the school: at first she saw it as a great opportunity to become popular, but then she realized the man just plain hates her, so she step up against him… to end the scene with her cursing at the old man and doing faces.

If you’re more interested in Mei, we learn that she misses his father and that may be the reason behind her weird attitude; also, she was being used by a gold digger teacher. Can you really blame her? As you see, there were a lot of funny bits and emotional moments, all perfectly crafted into 24 minutes. There’s even an “almost rape” scene! And there are consequences to this, more than you can imagine. 2018 had a great start so far, bringing back a left aside genre with a story that can compete with any other Romance or Drama anime. And it even has a cool opening too!