Dorohedoro S2
Short Synopsis: Season 2 of Dorohedoro, I don’t know how to explain it other than that, it’s crazy.
Lenlo: Ah Dorohedoro, you’re just as insane as when I left you. It took me all 3 episodes to figure out where the hell we were and what the fuck was happening, but once I did it felt like I had never left. Now I won’t lie, Dorohedoro is a confusing show that does not try very hard to keep you up to date. If you fall behind, if you aren’t paying attention, if you don’t watch the 90 second recap of Season 1, it will not remind you, it just jumps right in where we left off as if the finale was yesterday, and I can see that turning a lot of people off. But if you enjoyed the first second, and are ok with a little homework to remember where we are, I genuinely believe there is nothing quite like Dorohedoro’s focused insanity. It actually reminds me of Golden Kamuy in a lot of ways, where it can jump from one completely unrelated scene to another, mixing silly comedy and gore-filled violence side by side. Just instead of being set in 20th Hokkaido, it’s a mystical post-apocalyptic industrial fantasy world where literally anyone can die at any time.
Potential: 80%
The Ramparts of Ice
Short Synopsis: A frosty high school girl handles uncomfortable social situations to the best of her ability.
Wooper: I can’t help but compare The Ramparts of Ice (Koori no Jouheki) to its cousin You and I Are Polar Opposites, since it’s sandwiched between that series’ first and second seasons. The character designs make it clear that both shows are based on manga by the same artist, but based on this premiere, Ramparts got the worse end of the deal. The ice queen trope it uses to characterize the female lead (Koyuki) is bluntly implemented, and her classmates’ fear of her is equaled only by their worship of her friend Miki. Koyuki is already on her way to forming an unlikely bond with a popular guy, as well – it feels too much like a dozen other broadly-written high school anime. Then there’s the abundance of chibi scenes, which always cut away to a screentone background rather than incorporating the deformed characters into the real world. After seeing Polar Opposites successfully opt for the latter strategy last season, Ramparts’ direction feels like a downgrade. Its pre-ED flashbacks to some major drama from Koyuki’s middle school days were more intriguing than expected, but I don’t know whether I’ll watch for long enough to learn all the details there.
Potential: 30%
Petals of Reincarnation
Short Synopsis: Adolf Hitler, yes that Adolf Hitler, is reincarnated as a loli in this Fate ripoff. Hitler isn’t actually the main character, but I felt it important you know this.
Lenlo: My first thought watching Kaben was… unimpressed? It feels like a mix of Persona and Fate, except it lacks the same sort of Jungian Psychology of Persona and the gravitas of Fate. It feels like Kaben is just using their visuals and ideas slapped together into something “cool” without understanding or thinking about anything behind it. The lead is a little interesting, I’m always down for an unapologetic asshole as our main character, and this idea of stealing talent rather than honing/being proud of your own talent could actually go somewhere. But between this being Studio BENTEN’s first production, and Shun Kudou’s second ever director position, the first being Grendizer U, I can’t say I have a lot of faith in this going anywhere I want to watch.
Potential: 10%
The post Spring 2026 Impressions: Dorohedoro S2, The Ramparts of Ice, Petals of Reincarnation appeared first on Star Crossed Anime.
