Thank you for visiting Anime Rants! As you can see, I will be covering five anime series from this Spring 2026. Due to limited time and mental energy, my notes will be very brief. Hopefully, they will still prove enjoyable or entertaining, as well as helping to keep me focused on processing the series I consume. This post will most likely be a few days late, but it covers the episodes that aired in Spring ’26 Week 1 (roughly March 29th to April 4th, 2026). Anyway, here are my notes.
- Dr. Stone: Science Future Part 3
- Go For It! Nakamura!!
- That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 4
- The Ascendance of a Bookworm Season 4
Dr. Stone: Science Future Part 3
Episode 1: Future Engine
The work began to craft super-alloys capable of being used in rocket science. Suika’s encampment became Superalloy City. In addition, everyone was working on building a powerful engine and a new version of the Perseus (the original had sunk over the last seven years.) Once the New Perseus was done, it was much faster than before, with its futuristic engine powered by biofuel. Now, it was time for the group top split up. Xeno and some others would stay in Superalloy City and work on the rocket engine. Taiju’s group would journey back to Corn City in America and un-petrify Yuzuriha and everyone else there. Lastly, Senku and several companions departed on the Perseus to gather rare materials from around the world on their way back to Japan.
This was a fine opening episode for Dr. Stone. It was funny and inspiring as usual. However, it ended on a scary note, with Senku and company getting a message straight from Why-Man asking if they wanted to die. It was a chilling, well-executed moment. Even though that was probably the best part in the episode, my personal favorite scene was when Chrome got emotional on the deck of the New Perseus, overwhelmed by wonder and appreciation for science and human innovation. He didn’t know why, but he shed a few tears. This is why I love Dr. Stone: its emphasis on positivity and progress.
Go For It! Nakamura!!
Episode 1: Go For It, Nakamura-kun!! / Super Exciting Cooking Class!!
I didn’t really know what to expect other than something vaguely BL, but I’m happy to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the first episode. The art style is really cute and the narrative has so far not been homophobic. Protagonist Okuto Nakamura has experienced love at first sight when he saw his classmate Aiki Hirose at the highschool entrance ceremony. In the first episode, he endeavors to make friends with Hirose, only to find his attempts sabotaged by humorous circumstances and his own silly mistakes. It might be painful to watch 13 episodes of Nakamura failing, but I think he’ll make slow progress over time. In the meantime, the comedy and cuteness of this anime should keep me entertained.
In other notes, Nakamura is voiced by Chiaki Kobayashi, who also played Stark in Frieren, Gabimaru in Hell’s Paradise, and Yoshiki from The Summer Hikaru Died. I love Kobayashi’s voice and I think he did an amazing job in the first episode. Speaking of audio, the opening song was alright, but I think I prefer the ending song. On a final note, I loved the scenes with the octopus and the fact that Nakamura has a pet octopus. I’ve never handled a live octopus, but now I’m dying to try it.
Note: Two episodes were released in the first week, but I will be covering episode 2 in next week’s post, even if it puts me a bit behind.
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 4
Episode 1: New Days
This pilot episode of TenSura Season 4 was fairly average, but I enjoyed it a good amount. Tempest was a thriving nation where humans and monsters coexisted. There were some issues with the Dungeon business, so Rimuru held a meeting to make improvements. Masayuki, the Hero, suggested a few good business ideas, including offering courses on how to clear the Dungeon. In other notes, it was great to see Hinata, who was in Tempest acting as a temporary teacher of magic for the schoolkids. Seeing Hinata was probably my favorite part of the episode.
The ending reminded us that the Rozzo Family was one country away from ruling the entire Western region – and the last bastion was Tempest. Maribel Rozzo was determined to carry out her grandfather’s will and crush the growing country of monsters. There were a few other highlights, including screen-time for Diablo, who is one of my favorite characters. I am annoyed by the character of Shion and the tropes set up around her, so I didn’t really care for those parts of the episode. Still, it was an entertaining installment. I’m always happy to see more cute Rimuru moments.
The Ascendance of a Bookworm Season 4
Episode 1: I’ve Become A Noble
This was an excellent installment. I’m so glad that Ascendance of a Bookworm is back as I’m very fond of this anime. Its simple but heartfelt storytelling moves me to surprising degrees. For instance, when Rosemyne (as she is now called) started crying after recieving a gift from her real family, I also felt tears in my eyes. It was so emotional! In Myne’s case, her uncontrollable crying was due to the fact she was in a child’s body with a child’s mental capacity to process sudden complex emotions. But I wonder if I’m not alone in empathising as a neurodivergent person who also doesn’t process emotions normally. I experience panic attacks and sudden meltdowns, for instance. With her limitations caused by illness and having a child’s body, it seems like Myne would appeal to a variety of people with disabilities and/or neurodivergence. It’s not the same thing, but there are parallels. Myne is a highly appealing character to me for that and several other reasons.
There were several sweet, cool, and victorious moments for Rosemyne, including the moment when she blessed the crowd with holy magic at her ceremony. However, this episode reminded us twice that Rosemyne’s illness and frailty were continuously causing difficulty. She passed out once on the way to library with her new brother, Cornelius. Then she passed out again when being pulled away by a thoughtless brat named Wilfried. The second time, it was the evening of her official adoption ceremony. I hope someone scolds that boy for dragging along someone who obviously didn’t want to be there with him. We’ll find out next time how things were resolved after her collapse. Moving on, the opening and ending songs were both enjoyable, and the voice-acting was entertaining as usual. I also love the art-style and so many other aspects of this anime.
Next Week: Re:Zero Season 4 Episode 1
~Thanks for reading~
Written by 7Mononoke at Anime Rants
Anime Rants 