You're planning on watching Haikyuu!! - definitely go for it, it's awesome. When I first started it, I felt kinda dumb wasting my time on a show about volleyball, but within a few episodes I was hooked and have watched all the three seasons twice since then (it's the only anime where I remember nearly all the characters' names xD). Generally Haikyuu!! is a good choice whenever you're feeling down or just could use a bit more optimism. Haikyu
As for reverse harems, I've just finished (binge-watched xD) Ouran High School Host Club, and since I haven't seen anything else of the genre to compare it to, I can't tell how un/original it is. But it was fun and fluffy and not too cringey, plus I think it's very much obvious with whom the heroine is supposed to grow closest to, so the eternal question "will they, won't they" is kinda out of the game. I gave the show a 7, but that still means I strongly recommend it.^^
Ouran High School Host Club
Since you've seen Cowboy Bebop, you might enjoy Samurai Champloo as well. It's done by the same people and it's also episodic and has a rather prominent soundtrack (who would've guessed samurai and hip-hop go so well together?). People who've seen both the shows tend to prefer Bebop, but I've seen Champloo first and hated Bebop (couldn't even get past the second episode), so it really is subjective (what a surprise^^). I'm also attaching an AMV (not mine :-)) that captures Champloo quite well, perhaps minus the friendship development between the three main characters. Samurai Champloo
And finally, Natsume's Book of Friends and Into the Forest of Fireflies' Light have both the atmosphere and supernatural elements of Wolf Children. I was a bit bored by all three of them (hence 5 - 7 ratings, with 7 being actually still very good), but I don't think they're bad anime; they're just not my cup of tea, I know that now. You might like them though.
Natsumes Book of Friends
Into the Forest of Fireflies Light
I couldn't long decide between 5 stars and 10 point system, then I finally leaned to the latter, though I sometimes still have "urges" to return to the stars. xD The scale of 5 stars is easier to manage, the borderlines are clearly defined. That however means that more shows get grouped together - and then I eventually realized that I needed more distinction within these groups. Also it's now easier to keep the ratings in line with my MAL account.^^
On the other hand, I think percentages (or decimals) are unnecessary. I kinda get it if people rate separate categories (sound, characters, art, etc.) and then draw an average from it, but it's just so hilarious to see ratings like 57/100. Feels so random. xD
Smileys are imo a nice solution for people who don't want to be bothered with precise ratings, but still want to rate somehow. In fact, this kind of approach is my ideal - it embodies pure, unrestrained enjoyment (or lack thereof), without overthinking stuff and spoiling the fun. I hope to reach the same mindset someday, too.
BANANA FISH
Death Parade
Monster (got into it only after ep 35 or so, but the atmosphere is built up very well since the very beginning + it's interesting enough to be given a go)
Kiseijuu Sei no Kakuritsu
pet ^intriguing plot and characters, gradual revelation of secrets that always left me hungering for more. not flawless but imo deserving of a better reception nonetheless.
Shiki ^might be biased because vampires, but i really dug the atmosphere, the irritating cast (nearly everyone's a jerk) and the way it made me think (it's not really challenging to understand or anything, yet i found it intriguing to try to see stuff from the vampires' perspective, or to justify the questionable actions of individuals and so forth). could easily see it rated 80% or slightly above.
I watched the show for its art - it's really easy on the eyes and it contrasts beautifully with the plot's darker themes. However, art's also the only thing I liked about the show. The main heroine is completely useless (she spends the entirety of the 12 episodes running around fawning over boys or getting into trouble and waiting for someone, usually Hanako, to rescue her), the redhead is mostly reduced to comedic relief and Hanako, easily the most interesting figure, isn't explored nearly as much as he ought to (can be potentially fixed with a 2nd season). I also wasn't a fan of the comedy - the jokes weren't all that funny and they had an uncanny tendency to appear out of nowhere and disrupt more serious scenes. All in all, I'd say the show's endearing for its art but otherwise fairly average.
01) [O] Start: DD/MM/YY Finish: DD/MM/YY One Punch Man Action, MADHOUSE, 2015, O
02) [O] Start: DD/MM/YY Finish: DD/MM/YY Anime Title Adventure, Studio, Year, Letter
03) [O] Start: DD/MM/YY Finish: DD/MM/YY Anime Title Comedy, Studio, Year, Letter
04) [O] Start: DD/MM/YY Finish: DD/MM/YY Anime Title Drama, Studio, Year, Letter
05) [O] Start: DD/MM/YY Finish: DD/MM/YY Anime Title Ecchi, Studio, Year, Letter
06) [O] Start: DD/MM/YY Finish: DD/MM/YY Quan Zhi Gao Shou
Fantasy, G.CMay Animation & Film, 2017, Q
07) [O] Start: DD/MM/YY Finish: DD/MM/YY Anime Title Horror, Studio, Year, Letter
08) [O] Start: DD/MM/YY Finish: DD/MM/YY Anime Title Mahou Shoujo, Studio, Year, Letter
09) [O] Start: DD/MM/YY Finish: DD/MM/YY Anime Title Mecha, Studio, Year, Letter
10) [O] Start: DD/MM/YY Finish: DD/MM/YY Sakamichi no Apollon Music, MAPPA, 2012, S
11) [O] Start: DD/MM/YY Finish: DD/MM/YY Anime Title Mystery, Studio, Year, Letter
12) [O] Start: DD/MM/YY Finish: DD/MM/YY Anime Title Psychological, Studio, Year, Letter
13) [O] Start: DD/MM/YY Finish: DD/MM/YY Anime Title Romance, Studio, Year, Letter
14) [O] Start: 21/03/20 Finish: DD/MM/YY Gankutsuou Sci-Fi, GONZO, 2004, G
15) [O] Start: DD/MM/YY Finish: DD/MM/YY Anime Title Slice of Life, Studio, Year, Letter
16) [O] Start: DD/MM/YY Finish: DD/MM/YY Haikyuu!! TO THE TOP Sports, Production I.G, 2020, H
17) [O] Start: DD/MM/YY Finish: DD/MM/YY Anime Title Supernatural, Studio, Year, Letter
18) [O] Start: DD/MM/YY Finish: DD/MM/YY Anime Title Thriller, Studio, Year, Letter
I think the old art style worked just fine and there was no reason to change it. Why bother? The fact the manga's art changed too isn't a good enough argument; anime aren't obliged to copy their sources to a fault.
That said, I'll get used to the change eventually (what else is there to do?). I'm more afraid of other potential adjustments - there's just something utterly charming about the old HQ's atmosphere which I'm not sure will be preserved. Hence why I haven't started the new season yet; I didn't particularly enjoy the new OVA and don't quite know what to expect.^^


Bonus 1.Start: DD/MM/YY Finish: DD/MM/YY Watch an “Fantasy” anime that aired prior to 1990 Anime Title
Bonus 2.Start: DD/MM/YY Finish: DD/MM/YY Watch an award winning “Fantasy” anime (make a note for the award that was won Anime Title
Bonus 3.Start: DD/MM/YY Finish: DD/MM/YY Watch an anime within the “Fantasy” genre listed in the top 250 anime as listed in [Anime News Network Anime Title
Bonus 4.Start: DD/MM/YY Finish: DD/MM/YY Watch an anime with “Fantasy” AND your least favorite genre based on mean score in AniList Anime Title
Nothing wrong about killing off characters. Their deaths however should serve some purpose and ideally help the story reach a satisfying conclusion, which is exactly what didn't happen in Babylon's case.
Also I didn't give a damn about any of the characters (besides perhaps the young colleague of Zen's who was offed in the very first ep) so I couldn't care less if they lived or not.
Psychological & Thriller Normal
thank you^^
07) [P] Watched: 12/09/19 Watch an anime with the tags: "Sci-Fi" AND "Mystery" OR "Psychological" OR "Horror" OR "Thriller" Paprika
08) [X] Start: 18/01/20 Finish: 27/01/20 Watch an anime with the tags: "Sci-Fi" AND "Mecha" OR "Military" OR "War" Ima, Soko ni Iru Boku
09) [P] Start: 22/07/19 Finish: 30/07/19 Watch an anime with the tags: "Sci-Fi" AND "Space" OR "Space-Opera" OR "Ships" Sora wo Kakeru Shoujo
11) [P] Watched: 14/09/19 Watch a "Sci-Fi" anime with the format of Special HeatGuy J Special
18) [X] Start: 03/02/20 Finish: 10/02/20 Watch a "Sci-Fi" anime with a mean score of 69% or below on AniList Kemurikusa
19) [P] Start: 30/08/19 Finish: 14/09/19 Watch a "Sci-Fi" anime with the source listed as original HeatGuy J
23) [P] Watched: 28/11/19 Watch a "Sci-Fi" anime from different studios #1: Sunrise Nerawareta Gakuen
27) [P] Start: 03/05/19 Finish: 07/05/19 Watch a "Sci-Fi" anime that aired before 2000 Serial Experiments Lain
34) [P] Start: 15/02/19 Finish: 17/02/19 Watch a "Sci-Fi" anime with 24 or more episodes Kiseijuu: Sei no Kakuritsu
42) [P] Watched: 28/07/19 Watch a "Sci-Fi" anime that takes place in a dystopian or post-apocalyptic future Akira
43) [P] Watched: June 2018 Watch a "Sci-Fi" anime that takes place on Earth Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo (Japan)
44) [P] Watched: 20/10/19 Watch a "Sci-Fi" anime that takes place on another planet Redline (planet Dorothy, Roboworld's moon EUЯPSS)
46) [P] Start: 22/02/19 Finish: 05/03/19 Watch a "Sci-Fi" anime with a main or supporting character that is an alien Tsuritama (Haru)
47) [X] Start: 17/11/19 Finish: 18/01/20 Watch a "Sci-Fi" anime where the main character uses a mecha Mighty Orbots (Rob Simmons)
48) [P] Start: 01/05/19 Finish: 03/05/19 Watch a "Sci-Fi" anime that uses CGI effects, or is made using CGI Sentou Yousei Yukikaze
~!1. Start: DD/MM/YY Finish: DD/MM/YY Watch an anime with the genre / tags: "Sci-Fi" AND "Action" Anime Title

B1) Start: DD/MM/YY Finish: DD/MM/YY Watch a “Sci-Fi” anime that aired prior to 1990 Anime Title
Bonus 2.Start: DD/MM/YY Finish: DD/MM/YY Watch an award winning “Sci-Fi” anime (make a note for the award that was won Anime Title
Bonus 3.Start: DD/MM/YY Finish: DD/MM/YY Watch an anime within the “Sci-Fi” genre listed in the top 250 anime as listed in [Anime News Network Anime Title
Bonus 4.Start: DD/MM/YY Finish: DD/MM/YY Watch an anime with “Sci-Fi” AND your least favorite genre based on mean score in AniList Anime Title
Challenge Start Date: 13/01
Challenge Finish Date: DD/MM
Legend: [X] = Completed [O] = Not Completed [U] = Up-to-date
1) [O] Start: 09/11/19 Finish: DD/MM Chihayafuru 3 (ep 14+)
2) [O] Start: 09/01/20 Finish: DD/MM pet
3) [O] Start: 29/01/20 Finish: DD/MM Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun
4) [X] Watched: 13/02/20 Haikyuu!! Riku VS Kuu
5) [O] Start: DD/MM Finish: DD/MM Anime Title
6) [O] Start: DD/MM Finish: DD/MM Anime Title
7) [O] Start: DD/MM Finish: DD/MM Anime Title
Favourite (Optional): Anime Title