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Shaman King Flowers Anime Series Review
Ultimately, my biggest problem with Shaman King Flowers is that it mostly just feels like a set-up to a much larger story that has yet to actually happen.
― [Warning, this review will contain major spoilers for the ending of Shaman King (2021)] If there's one thing that can be counted on with battle shonen properties, it's that any of them that go on long enough will inevitably get some sequel series...
The Grimm Variations Anime Series Review
The Grimm Variations is one of those shows that tries. It almost tries too hard, and the result is that some of the tales are beyond recognition, while others play it too safe.
― At the end of The Grimm Variations, Charlotte, the real-life younger sister of the Brothers Grimm (who were, in fact, only two of many Grimm brothers), remarks that she would like to see fairy tales where the protagonists ar...
BLUELOCK THE MOVIE -EPISODE NAGI- Anime Film Review
Makes Nagi an even more interesting and nuanced character, but the last 10 minutes almost upends the film's otherwise interesting plot.
― BLUELOCK THE MOVIE -EPISODE NAGI- is a retelling of the early events of BLUELOCK through the eyes of Nagi and Mikage. However, that's not to say this is a recap or compilation film. Rather, a good 70% of the film is newly animated footage as the story follows their...
Wonderful Precure! Episodes 1-12 Anime Review
You can't accuse the Pretty Cure franchise of resting on its laurels. Wonderful Precure! could move too slowly for some viewers. But these episodes are full of unmitigated joy.
― You can't accuse the Pretty Cure franchise of resting on its laurels. While there are distinct similarities between all iterations of the long-running Magical Girl franchise, recent years have done their best to maintain the...
Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction Part 1 Anime Film Review
Part District 9 meets O Maidens in Your Savage Season, part grimdark deconstruction of Doraemon.
― Many anime films are adapted from manga and Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction is no exception. Usually, a film will cover a single arc of the greater plot—giving the story on screen a solid beginning, middle, and end. However, this is not the case with the first Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destructi...
Classroom of the Elite Season 3 Anime Series Review
However, for all the good to be found in the season, there is a notable flaw: its pacing.
― On most levels, Classroom of the Elite Season 3 falls into the category of being "more of the same." After all, the usual story pattern remains intact: Some new threat comes for Ayanakoji's class, and he pulls strings from behind the scenes, eventually coming out on top. That said, this season does its best to...
Kurayukaba and Kuramerukagari Anime Movies Review
These tenously-linked films sport impressive world-building and mechanical designs but suffer from undercooked plots.
― Streaming worldwide on Crunchyroll on the day of their Japanese theatrical release, does the distribution pattern of these one-hour-long thematically-linked movies mark a new strategy for the Sony-owned service? I can't see anything similar happening with massive properties like Dem...
SPY×FAMILY Code: White Anime Film Review
The anime dub premieres tonight in Los Angeles, but is the Spy x Family film a must-see or an easy skip?
― Let's start this review with a bit of a litmus test to see whether you'll enjoy this film or not. Does the idea of an extended sequence about a little girl trying desperately not to poop—to the point where she starts having surreal hallucinations—sound like the height of comedy? If yes, you've f...
Banished from the Hero's Party Season 2 Anime Series Review
A new, compelling villain and a pleasant romantic backdrop makes for a deeply satisfying show.
― Despite the off-putting, typical-for-light-novels word salad of its full 15-word title, the first season of Banished from the Hero's Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside was one of my highlights of the Fall 2021 season. For one, it wasn't an isekai, and it mixed low-stakes slice-of-lif...
Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki 2nd Stage Anime Series Review
As before, Second Stage's biggest strength is in its complex, nuanced character development and dynamics.
― I was a little surprised when Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki 2nd Stage failed to win enough ANN reader votes for weekly streaming reviews of its second season, as I'd been under the impression the first season was pretty popular. I guess I was wrong. To several of my internet buddies, each succ...
Ya Boy Kongming! Road to Summer Sonia Anime Film Review
Some of the best-looking musical sequences are so heavily improved upon their original versions that they alone justify watching this film, even if you know the original by heart.
― Compilation films are such a weird thing in anime, are they not? We accept their existence because there are a million of them. If American TV shows started cutting up full seasons into 2 hours and throwing five minutes o...
High Card Season 2 Anime Series Review
High Card is a show that seems to live by the rule of cool, but the problem is that the lore of High Card isn't always that interesting at best and downright perplexing at worst.
― The first half of High Card had an issue with establishing an identity. My biggest problem with the first handful of episodes was that it felt like the show couldn't decide what kind of story it wanted to tell. Did it want...
Doctor Elise: The Royal Lady with the Lamp Anime Series Review
In many ways, watching this show is at least mildly annoying.
― In case you missed it, Doctor Elise: The Royal Lady with the Lamp is making a very real attempt to align its heroine with real-life nursing pioneer Florence Nightingale. Her last name, Clorence, is meant to rhyme with "Florence" (and the manhwa translation spells it "Clarence," so the subtitles are trying to play this link up), her count...
Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash Anime Series Review
Unfairly overshadowed during the Winter 2024 season by heavyweight titles The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash is a surprisingly high-quality fantasy.
― Unfairly overshadowed during the Winter 2024 season by heavyweight titles Frieren and Delicious in Dungeon, The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash is a surprisingly high-quality fantasy anime from Studio Massket – it's their...
Sasaki and Peeps Season One Anime Series Review
In its animated incarnation, Sasaki and Peeps is Overstuffed Smörgåsbord – The Anime.
― Sasaki and Peeps surely represent the end stage of the Japanese light novel explosion. We've run out of endlessly iterative and overcomplicated isekai power fantasy concepts, flashy and violent psychic battling's getting old, and magical girls have been deconstructed over and over until there's nothing left but ru...
Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! Anime Series Review
It could look better, but don't let that stop you from watching this kind, mature romance.
― Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!: it's like My New Boss is Goofy, but actually gay. It would be easy to glibly write this series off that way, and there are distinct similarities between the two, not the least of which is that both series explore the bonds between men who work a...
Tis Time for "Torture," Princess Anime Series Review
Despite its best efforts, Torture Princess' humor is mostly one-note and has little to leave audiences wanting more.
― The more jaded fans among us would be forgiven for fearing the worst for this anime that prominently features the loaded word “torture” in its title. After all, the series composer is Kazuyuki Fudeyasu, the same screenwriter who composed such infamous anime adaptations as Redo of Hea...
The Demon Prince of Momochi House Anime Series Review
The Demon Prince of Momochi House absolutely could have been more than this and I'm sorry it isn't, but to damn it with faint praise, “mediocre” is at least better than “bad.”
― It's difficult not to watch The Demon Prince of Momochi House and compare it to Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts. That's not because they're similar stories – apart from falling under the shoujo demographic and fan...
Tales of Wedding Rings Episodes 1-12 Streaming Anime Review
What you're left with is a dull fantasy with stock, underdeveloped characters with uninteresting relationships that never look as good as they insist they should.
― The isekai subgenre is no stranger to harems. These days, it seems like every Tom, Dick, or Harry who gets transported to a fantasy world is instantly gifted with a gaggle of giggling girls glomming over his gormless gonads. Tales of Wedd...
Rascal Does Not Dream of a Knapsack Kid Anime Film Review
The second part of a double-feature currently in U.S. theaters, when Sakuta finds he's become invisible, he'll have to face some significant changes in his life to create the future he wants.
― As an overarching story, The Rascal Does Not Dream series hit its central climax in the 2019 film Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dreaming Girl. The previous film to this one, Rascal Does Not Dream of a Sister Vent...
Rascal Does Not Dream of a Sister Venturing Out Anime Film Review
In theaters as a double-feature, Rascal Does Not Dream of a Sister Venturing Out changes up the formula for a unique yet satisfying film.
― As a fan of the previous Rascal Does Not Dream anime, this film is not at all what I expected. Up until this point, the series has followed a set pattern. Our protagonist Sakuta becomes involved with a young woman who is dealing with some aspect of growing up—be ...
Bocchi the Rock! Anime Series Blu-ray Disc Review
One of "the most unorthodox and innovative" anime is out on Blu-ray in this subtitled-only release. We'd like more extras, but you can't say no to Bocchi.
― Unless you're a brand-new anime fan, you probably have heard of Bocchi the Rock!. If you are a new fan, welcome! When it came onto the scene in the fall of 2023, it was an easy crowd-pleaser with the way it combined cute girl hobby anime aestheti...
Fairy Princess Minky Momo Episodes 16-30 Anime Review
With this second batch of episodes released for Western audiences, Fairy Princess Minky Momo feels like it really hits its stride.
― With this second batch of episodes released for Western audiences, Fairy Princess Minky Momo feels like it really hits its stride. By this point, the formula is well-established: Momo, in her guise as the daughter of an Earth couple in an unnamed European country, finds...
Pokémon Horizons: The Series Anime Episodes 1-12
With Ash's story done and its focus on new adventures and characters, can Pokémon Horizons live up to its legendary predecessor?
― With the end of one era comes the beginning of another. We saw the original Pokémon anime officially come to an end with the wrap up of Ash Ketchum's journey. None of us thought for a second this would be the end of Pokémon anime as a whole because the Pokémon Company had...
Marginal Prince Anime Series Review
It's far from groundbreaking, and every episode is filled with so much cheese that you risk getting indigestion, but I think if you take your time digesting it like I did, there's a lot of fun here.
― Crunchyroll recently added Marginal Prince to their streaming service. It's an adaptation of a love simulation game of the same name from the early 2000s. Boy, does it feel like it! It's always interest...
SAND LAND: THE SERIES Anime Episodes 1-6 Review
This visually stunning action-adventure is another reminder of why Toriyama was a world-builder with boundless creativity.
― Coming straight out of the mind of the beloved Dragon Ball's Akira Toriyama, the original Sand Land manga is a short, one-volume work published all the way back in the year 2000. This past year, it was adapted into a feature film. Sand Land: The Series takes the 106-minute movi...
Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights of the Apocalypse Episodes 1-11 Anime Review
The Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights of the Apocalypse's first cour is a bit of a mixed bag that doesn't yet live up to its popular predecessor.
― Welcome back to the Arthurian-inspired shounen world of The Seven Deadly Sins. In this adaptation of the Nakaba Suzuki's sequel manga, it's been sixteen years since the Sins' final battle, and the focus shifts to their children – or at least to a random kid...
The Klutzy Witch: Fukka and the Witch of Darkness Anime Movie Review
There are some fun moments of slapstick, but the humor fades as the film goes on, and the action is never particularly impressive or memorable.
― The Klutzy Witch: Fukka and the Witch of Darkness screened at the 2024 New York International Children's Film Festival as a double bill with the short film Magic Candies. Despite the festival's name, many of the anime movies screened there have also held st...
Lovely Complex Anime Blu-Ray Review
Fans of romantic comedies with human characters, people who love and relate to weirdo protagonists, and long-time Lovely Complex admirers, pick up this Blu-ray.
― Lovely Complex seems like an unlikely candidate for a dubbed Blu-ray release, even from a company that specializes in releasing older anime like Discotek. It first came out in 2007, natively animated in 480p, and the simple, frequently off-...
Sword Art Online the Movie -Progressive- Scherzo of Deep Night
Asuna's story continues in the second Progressive film, now streaming on Crunchyroll. Find out more about her and Kirito's growing friendship and see the continuation of her rocky relationship with Mito.
― Sword Art Online the Movie -Progressive- Scherzo of Deep Night is the second Sword Art Online Progressive film, and it picks up the story a bit less than a month after the end of Aria of a Starless...
Bloody Escape -Jigoku no Tōsōgeki- Anime Film Review
The cyborg vampire ninja isn't enough to keep this film above merely mediocre.
― Bloody Escape -Jigoku no Tōsōgeki- is a film of tremendous highs and lows on nearly every level. On the one hand, its world is wonderfully over-the-top. The mixture of future technology, magic, and fantasy races leads to wildly fun clashes in tone and style. Kisaragi, our main protagonist, is a cyborg vampire ninja who h...
Bullbuster Anime Series Review
If you're looking for a story that uses giant robots to do something different, something smart, maybe even something a little political, this is worth your while.
― Yes, this is an anime named Bullbuster that was produced at Studio NUT. Two things that sound like a testicle reference! Dohohohoho. Now that we've gotten that sensible, if slightly puerile, chuckle out of the way, let's move on to talki...
Fairy Princess Minky Momo Episodes 1-15 Anime Review
This a great series to watch while scarfing down a bowl of sugary cereal in true 1980s fashion.
― Before we get going, yes, this is that series with the infamous episode forty-six, which shaped the darker elements of the magical girl series that came after it. As of this writing, Crunchyroll hasn't licensed anything beyond the first fifteen episodes, and although they still contain some moments that ...
Our Dating Story: The Experienced You and the Inexperienced Me Anime Review
Our Dating Story: The Experienced You and the Inexperienced Me is… fine. Had the story been more nuanced, the script more engaging, the direction more impactful, it could have been good, great even.
― Our Dating Story: The Experienced You and the Inexperienced Me is somehow both ambitious and completely lacking in ambition. It initially caught my attention because I have a soft spot for the dynamics ...
Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure Episodes 37-50 Anime Review
Every one of the Cures in this season is a hero by the end, saving the worlds, each other, and themselves.
― Every story starts somewhere. It sounds sophomoric to say, but the truth is that we often don't think about where something really began, especially if the story we're watching or living is exciting and tangled in its own right. That's more or less the case with the Cures in their fight agains...
Kaina of the Great Snow Sea: Star Sage Anime Film Review
Kaina's closing chapter is hindered by a stereotypical villain and predictable plotting, where the destination was emphasized over the journey.
― Kaina of the Great Snow Sea was the latest televised collaboration between manga author Tsutomu Nihei and CG animation studio Polygon Pictures. This team-up had previously produced adaptations of Knights of Sidonia and Blame!, and Kaina stood out as their f...
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED FREEDOM Anime Film Review
After languishing for years, Gundam SEED FREEDOM is out in theaters in Japan. When Orphee joins the story, Lacus and Kira face the line between free will and fate.
― I'll be honest. Part of me was certain this film would never be completed. It was announced way back in 2006 only to be put on hold due to the chronic illnesses plaguing Gundam SEED's creator, scriptwriter Chiaki Morosawa. Little was sai...
My Hero Academia Season 6 Part 1 Anime BD+DVD Review
Long-held fan theories finally reveal themselves. If you've stuck with the franchise, then there are a multitude of moments that will make you happy.
― The best way to describe the beginning of season six of My Hero Academia is that shit is finally going down. It is a shame that the popularity of My Hero seems to have waned in the past year or two because we're finally approaching the beginning of th...
BLUELOCK BD+DVD Anime Series Review
BLUELOCK exemplifies why soccer garners such an intense fandom worldwide.
― There is something uniquely tragic yet beautiful about unrequited sports fandom—passionate fans who stick by their teams through the sporadic highs and lowest lows, fervently hoping every year that this year— this year— is going to be the year they go all the way. It's a universal experience shared by fans around the globe, e...
Good Night World Anime Series Review
Initially, Good Night World seems like another VRMMORPG anime with little originality. Until episode six, when specific plot points, throwaway lines, and unusual concepts culminate in a stunning twist.
― Normally, I'm allergic to Sword Art Online-esque VRMMORPG anime, or at least they leave me cold. Other than a brief dalliance with impersonating a hot cat-girl in Final Fantasy XIV, I've steered clea...
A Girl and Her Guard Dog Anime Series Review
The story is meant to indulge the fantasy of a sexy older man returning your feelings. However, I doubt many people's fantasies involve hands that look like flesh-colored gloves, or facial features that warp from moment to moment.
― Let's get this out of the way, one last time: nothing I have to say about A Girl & Her Guard Dog is a moral or ethical judgment against the real humans who made it or th...
Kizumonogatari: Koyomi Vamp Anime Film Review
Despite the low-quality reputation that compilation films tend to have, I'd go so far as to say it's the best single compilation film I've ever seen.
― While anime compilation films are nothing new, Kizumonogatari: Koyomi Vamp, isn't made up of footage from a TV show. Rather, it is the combination of three films: Kizumonogatari Part 1: Tekketsu (2016), Kizumonogatari Part 2: Nekketsu (2016), and Kizu...
Vexations of a Shut-In Vampire Princess Anime Series Review
It's hard to decide what to focus on in this tonally inconsistent anime series starring a young vampire constantly bombarded by her horny maid.
― From the outset, The Vexations of a Shut-in Vampire Princess is a lot. The first episode throws so much scattershot world-building jargon at the viewer, along with some very uncomfortable, non-consensual fetishistic yuri fanservice, that if it weren't for m...
Arknights: Perish in Frost Anime Series Review
while it also doesn't escape all the trappings that held back its first season, Perish in Frost still shakes out to be a more confident and complex installment.
― Arknights, my gacha of choice when it comes to hiring lizard ladies with magic rock cancer, returns to the anime world with Perish in Frost. In terms of continuity, this second leg of the adaptation is direct and unsurprising, and that's a ...
Maboroshi Anime Film Review
You'll never age. You'll never die. Your child will never be born. The newest thought experiment from the mind of acclaimed writer Mari Okada is centered around living in the hell that exists in a truly static world. Now streaming on Netflix.
― Alice to Therese no Maboroshi Kōjō is the newest thought experiment from the mind of acclaimed writer Mari Okada (Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day, Mobile ...
The Dreaming Boy is a Realist Anime Series Review
A middle-of-the-road school romance story, Dreaming Boy lives and dies on whether you can connect to its main character, Wataru, as he disentangles himself from his romantic interest.
― I think we've all had that moment where we realize things aren't like the movies. The good guy doesn't always win, and persistence isn't some magic spell that grants ultimate victory. As a wise man once said, "It is p...
Ayakashi Triangle Anime Series Review
This boundary-pushing ecchi series has a surprising amount of emotional intelligence behind it.
― Which anime of 2023 was most unjustly ignored by the masses? While my vote would probably go to fall's Migi & Dali, a fantastic and uncomfortable comedy thriller that seemed to pass most anime fans by, I also harbor a soft spot for ecchi comedy Ayakashi Triangle, murdered by severe production woes. Initi...
My Dress-Up Darling Anime Series Limited Edition BD+DVD Set Review
The characters' vulnerability is a significant part of what makes the ensuing blossoming relationship so sweet and cute; they're both odd puzzle pieces that fit together.
― When I first watched My Dress Up-Darling, I remember it feeling much different than other romance anime, and upon rewatching via My Dress Up Darling: The Complete Season Limited Edition, I can whole-heartedly confirm it has someth...
Stardust Telepath Anime Series Review
Stardust Telepath is the embodiment of a gorgeous-looking, feel-good anime.
― It can be hard to open yourself up to other people. We all have an inner voice, and some people can project that voice better than others. Sometimes, it's easier to think that no one in the world will be able to understand us, so why don't we look up to the stars and the great unknown instead? Sometimes, it's easier to thin...
My New Boss Is Goofy Anime Series Review
Not all slice-of-life shows hit the sweet spot between soothing and emotionally resonant, but My New Boss is Goofy manages to do it.
― Not all slice-of-life shows hit the sweet spot between soothing and emotionally resonant, but My New Boss is Goofy manages to do it. The story follows Momose, a young man in his twenties who spent his first years working for what is known as a black company, a workpla...
Great Pretender Razbliuto Anime Movie Review
Your enjoyment of this new caper will heavily depend on how the ending of the Great Pretender anime series made you feel.
― The Great Pretender anime was…pretty good. When I watched the original anime on Netflix in 2020, I thought it was a fun, stand-out show with a likable cast of characters, a distinct style, and a gorgeous soundtrack. A Robin Hoodish heist series will always be fun with tight writ...
Pokémon Concierge Anime Series Review
This is a beautifully rendered, laid-back look into another unique aspect of the Pokémon world. I'm not sure if we'll get a continuation at the time of this writing, but more projects like this in the future will certainly be welcomed.
― The only thing that makes me happier than The Pokémon Company making spinoff content to showcase other elements of the expansive world they've created is their uniqu...
Dropkick on My Devil!!: Apocalypse Day Anime OVA Review
If this anime series can be credibly accused of being a money-funneling scam at this point, well, at least it's a pretty funny one that's still unlike anything else out there.
― The ongoing unethical experiment that is Dropkick on My Devil's animated existence is shifting in real-time. When it was still the prestige exclusive that Amazon hoped to sell its anime-streaming catalog on, the series would ...
Tokyo Revengers: Tenjiku Arc Anime Series Review
Despite its dumb characters and sloppy writing, Takemichi and his friends have a lot of heart and are easy to root for.
― Sometimes, it seems like Tokyo Revengers is the forgotten modern anime blockbuster. Back when its two-cour first season streamed on Crunchyroll in 2021, it was one of that year's most popular shows. It's impressive how much its visibility was affected by the series' international ...
Ron Kamonohashi's Forbidden Deductions Season 1 Anime Review
The characters are overdone, and the deliberate goofiness of the surrounding elements drags things down. If you're a mystery buff, there are better things to watch.
― There is an art to the detective story. Many more knowledgeable scholars than me have written about it, but the short answer is that crafting a solid mystery and then preparing a sleuth character to solve it is not always easy. That goe...
Liar Liar Episodes 1-12 Anime Review
There is no way to sugarcoat this: much of this anime is pure schlock. Yet, that doesn't change the fact that this anime is immensely entertaining whenever Hiroto is playing one of the numerous games seen in the series.
― There is no way to sugarcoat this: much of this anime is pure schlock. The two main female leads, Sarasa and Shirayuki, are textbook examples of the tsundere and dandere archetypes,...
Burn the Witch #0.8 Anime OAV Review
In Western TV, it's not uncommon to have a pilot episode to pitch to potential producers, which eventually gets heavily reworked and changed before going to a whole series. Watching #0.8 is a lot like watching one of those.
― As a franchise, Burn the Witch exists in a strange sort of limbo. It began as a standalone one-shot by Tite Kubo back in 2018, at the time his first major work since the conclus...
The Yuzuki Family's Four Sons Anime Series Review
If poor subtitles sent you screaming away from this series, it's worth taking a second look, because this story is heartwarming in all of the right ways.
― If ever a series was done wrong by its premiere, The Yuzuki Family's Four Sons would be it – not because it wasn't a faithful adaptation of its source material, but because it debuted with truly abysmal subtitles, which rendered it nearly unwatcha...
The Saint's Magic Power is Omnipotent Season Two Anime Review
The Saint's Magic Power is Omnipotent's second season isn't going to blow anyone's mind with its story, art, or animation. It's a cozy series through and through.
― It's probably worth mentioning that the author of the original light novels this show is based on has repeatedly said that she's sorry that the romance plot moves at a glacial pace. The slow progress between Sei and Albert is one of the m...
Rocopon Manga Volume 1 Review
This might be the weirdest alien assassin to grace manga publication.
― Like Koro-sensei before him, alien Rocopon is deceptively goofy. After crash-landing in Shibuya eight years ago, he was recognized as Japan's official resident alien...and then five years ago, he was given a special assignment to the Department of Murder at the Ministry of Defense. The logic is that because Rocopon isn't human, i...
SPY×FAMILY Code: White Anime Film Review
Studio Wit channels their experience with Attack on Titan hard in this film—giving Yor one of the coolest-looking and best-choreographed fight scenes I've seen in a good while.
― Let's start this review with a bit of a litmus test to see whether you'll enjoy this film or not. Does the idea of an extended sequence about a little girl trying desperately not to poop—to the point where she starts having ...
Overtake! Episodes 1-12 Anime Review
While seeing Haruka succeed as a driver is a large part of the story, the emotional underpinnings and its connection to the 2011 Tōhoku natural disaster make this series work.
― Grief and anxiety can eat you whole. That's something that both protagonists of Overtake!, a surprise delight from the fall 2023 season, are trying to cope with – Kouya Madoka was a successful photographer when he was trapped...
The Imaginary Anime Film Review
Between reality, storybook worlds, and children's minds, this is a film overflowing with imagination—and it has the animation to match.
― As a critic, I most enjoy analyzing films—breaking down what they're about not just on a superficial plot level but on a deeper thematic one. At first, The Imaginary seems to be about Amanda, a girl dealing with the grief of losing her father—as well as all the cha...
Slam Dunk Anime Episodes 25-60 Review
I have returned to the world of red pompadours, goofy antics, cheesy speeches, and high schoolers that are in no way, shape, or form drawn like actual high schoolers.
― I have returned to the world of red pompadours, goofy antics, cheesy speeches, and high schoolers that are in no way, shape, or form drawn like actual high schoolers. It's been a while since the last review; I was admittedly reeling f...
Delicious in Dungeon – Episodes 1-3 Review (Theatrical Screening)
A rare miss for Trigger where everything from the action to the jokes are just "fine."
― Studio Trigger's adaptation of Delicious in Dungeon will air on Netflix this coming January. However, in advance of this, the first three episodes were repackaged into a limited theatrical release in Japan—giving us the chance to check it out nearly a month early. So, read on to get my non-spoiler thoughts on the...
Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window Anime Film Review
An emotional film from director Shinnosuke Yakuwa about neurodivergent and disabled children learning to accept themselves as World War II overtakes their country.
― Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window is the story of three people. The first is the titular Totto-chan herself. In a society where everyone, even children her age, is expected to "read the room" and follow any number of unspoken rul...
Rascal Does Not Dream of a Knapsack Kid Anime Film Review
When Sakuta finds he's become invisible, he'll have to face some significant changes in his life to create the future he wants.
― As an overarching story, The Rascal Does Not Dream series hit its central climax in the 2019 film Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dreaming Girl. The previous film to this one, Rascal Does Not Dream of a Sister Venturing Out, felt more like an extended epilogue than anything els...
Onimusha Anime Series Review
After only a few episodes, a very cynical rhythm robs the series of what little mystery it had to begin with.
― Onimusha is a better-than-average anime adaptation of a video game property but doesn't leave much lasting impact. I'm decidedly in the middle of the road regarding this adaptation. By way of background, I'm only passingly familiar with the Onimusha games. I remember playing a demo disc at ...
Level 1 Demon Lord and One Room Hero Anime Series Review
Not content to just be a fanservice comedy, Level 1 Demon Lord hides an earnest relationship between its main duo. The abs aren't bad either.
― Level 1 Demon Lord and One Room Hero feels like two shows stapled together. One is a fanservice-laden sitcom featuring the odd couple of a porn-addicted slob and his supposed enemy trying to get him to clean up his act. The other is a character drama about th...
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off Anime Review
This AU adventure gives the expanded cast a place in the story where they previously existed to propel Scott's story forward, and the series is better for it.
― If you're already familiar with Scott Pilgrim, the first episode of Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is exactly what you expect: an almost beat-for-beat adaptation of the first act of the comic, with a few minor changes and elisions. The art is a perf...
Komada - A Whisky Family Anime Film Review
A beautiful film from top to bottom, Komada shows how embracing what you can't control can lead to a fulfilling life.
― When it comes down to it, this film is the story of two people: Kotaro and Rui. At first look, they appear to be total opposites. Kotaro starts the film horribly immature. He's only interested in doing the bare minimum—less if he can talk his way out of it. He has no drive or motiva...
Akuma Kun Anime Series Review
Rather than examining how the outside world impacts people, Akuma Kun explores the darkness of the human psyche to startling effect.
― Content warning: suicide and domestic abuse If Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro was Shigeru Mizuki's ode to the world of Japanese folklore, Akuma Kun is his exploration of Abrahamic mysticism. The eponymous Akuma-kun – a title passed from father to son in the context of this series...
Code Geass Complete Series Collector's Edition Blu-Ray Review
If you take nothing else from this review, let it be known that this sucker is huge, and a full display of its contents will take up the entirety of a modestly sized kitchen table, such is the stage that Lelouch demands for his presence.
― It's hard to believe that the original Code Geass anime is going on nearly twenty years old now. There was a time when it felt like Geass was going to be anime's ...
He's Expecting Volume 1 Manga Review
Eri Sakai's manga asks, "If cis men could also give birth, would that change reproductive rights for everyone?"
― There's a running line of internet commentary that holds that if men got pregnant, abortion would be a God-given right and that pregnancy care would be a whole lot better and more accessible. While that's largely an American perspective, and I don't want to get too political here, it stil...
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: Visions of Coleus Anime ONA Review
Without having to give each member of the TV anime's expansive cast their moments to shine, we are rewarded with a much tighter story—even if it is one with some baked-in issues of its own.
― Based on a four-part series of novellas included in the Blu-Rays of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime's second season, Visions of Coleus is set early in the TV series' second season. Everything here takes ...
IDOLiSH7 LIVE 4bit BEYOND THE PERiOD Anime Film Review
These two films are not a continuation of the television series – they are full-on concerts presented to us as if we were watching a televised broadcast of a live event. Is that a problem? Not in the slightest.
― These two films are not a continuation of the television series – they are full-on concerts presented to us like if we were watching a televised broadcast of a live event. Is that a problem?...
The Concierge Anime Film Review
The Concierge is a light-hearted look at working in the service industry. It shows some of the best and worst of customers and clerks and ties it together through a series of short stories featuring animals you've likely never heard of.
― In many ways, this film is more a series of vignettes surrounding Akino and her experiences at the department store rather than a single, cohesive story. While ever...
The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes Anime Film Review
The Annecy award-winning film about two teenagers trying to muddle their way through abuse and grief proves that writer-director Tomohisa Taguchi is a creative to watch.
― The Tunnel to Summer, The Exit of Goodbyes is part of a growing genre of supernatural romance anime movies and follows many of its beats. A new person bursts into the protagonist's life, bringing along with them a fantastical occur...
Saint Tail Complete Collection Anime Blu-ray Disc Review
Saint Tail is a classic magical girl story and, frankly, a whole lot of charming fun.
― Saint Tail, based on the manga of the same name by Megumi Tachikawa (released by Tokyopop in the early 2000s and now sadly out of print), has had a tough time of it in English release. Before Discotek rescued and released it in this Blu-ray collection, the series saw four dubbed VHS tapes and five dual-language DV...
Mieruko-chan Anthology Comic Manga Review
It's a new set of spooky tales in the Mieruko-chan Anthology Comic, including works from Michiru Noroi, Yakan Nabeya, Aki Mizuki, and more!
― Allowing other authors to play in a given world is a dicey proposition. Not only are you asking for their take on an established story, but you're doing so with the understanding that their vision of it may not be exactly what original series fans are looking f...
Digimon Adventure 02 The Beginning Anime Film Review
Digimon Adventure 02 The Beginning throws a major wrench into Digimon lore. When it comes down to it, if you're a fan who can accept the retcons and their implications, you'll probably enjoy this film. If not, you likely won't.
― While Digimon Adventure 02 The Beginning may feature the return of Davis, Yolei, Cody, Ken, T.K., and Kari as the central team of DigiDestined, this movie isn't really about...
Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World- Season 2 Limited Edition Anime Blu-Ray Review
All the shifting back and forth weaves together to make a beautiful picture with a singular theme: to move forward from trauma, one must look toward their unchangeable past and clear-eyed into an uncertain future.
― "Just make it about something!" has been my constant refrain as wave after wave of isekai mush has washed over me for the past decade. Enough with the bland, soothing pap intentionally de...
Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure Episodes 25-36 Anime Review
The introduction of a new Cure mixes up the status quo of who needs to be saved and who does the saving in a series that firmly stands on its own two feet.
― As of this writing, Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure is airing concurrently with Power of Hope ~Precure Full Bloom~. While that's doubly exciting for franchise fans (and this is an excellent time to be one in the English-speaking world, at long last), i...
Edens Zero Season 2 Anime Series Review
Edens Zero finds its footing in its second season, turning toward a darker world than previously expected.
― At first glance, Edens Zero had an identity issue. Off the heels of the incredibly successful Fairy Tail franchise, Edens Zero needed to do a lot to prove itself as Hiro Mashima's next exciting adventure. None of this was helped by the fact that Mashima took the quirky reuse of some characters...
Am I Actually the Strongest? Anime Series Review
An anime barely content to exist, seemingly green-lit at the behest of analysts insistent that some quota of on-air isekai series had to be met.
― It's not unfair to say there's some critical bias against the omnipresent isekai genre in anime. If you're a casual viewer who only watches the stronger examples every now and then, the constant bemoaning of the trend by professional writers might feel pla...
Blue Giant Anime Film Review
Blue Giant is one of those films you'll either fall in love with or be bored to tears by, and much of that hinges on your appreciation for jazz music.
― Blue Giant is a relatively straightforward story about three young guys. Dai is that rare person with talent and drive—an innocent person who loves what he does and never lets anything get him down. Unfortunately, this also means he is a relatively s...
Rent-A-Girlfriend Season 3 Anime Series Review
It's still imperfect, but this season delivers the best material Rent-a-Girlfriend has offered in ages.
― While not the worst harem anime you can find, season two of RAG was undoubtedly in the running for the most tedious. While it managed to introduce an interesting conflict at the very last minute, the preceding 11 episodes were an exercise in wasting the viewer's time, cycling through the various ...
The Duke of Death and His Maid Season 2 Anime Series Review
Overall, season two feels more like a transition point than a standalone season.
― The Duke of Death and His Maid pleasantly surprised me. What I originally thought would be something more irritating and drawn out ended up being one of the more wholesome and engaging romances I've watched in quite some time. Unlike other shows that use the whole idea of teasing for the sake of dragging out an unenthu...
Castlevania: Nocturne Series Review
Castlevania: Nocturne knows that it must succeed as good television above all else and that changes to the source material can be good when done properly. In that respect, this new generation of Castlevania is an astounding success.
― I had my problems with Netflix's first attempt at bringing the Castlevania franchise to life on the small screen, but regardless of how much I chafed at some of its awk...
Classroom For Heroes Anime Series Review
What should be a raucous action-comedy can quickly become an obnoxious headache that constantly smirks at its reliance on stock tropes
― Classroom for Heroes has two primary ways of operating: fast and loud, often concurrently. Whether introducing new characters, throwing jokes at the wall, or even transitioning between scenes, the show is always trying to grab your attention. On the one hand, that's...
Sasaki and Miyano: Graduation Anime Film Review
While the manga is ongoing, Graduation feels like a farewell, using its final moments to reminisce about our main couple's romantic journey as they walk the halls of their school one last time.
― To call Graduation a movie is a bit generous. Even with the inclusion of the Hirano and Kagiura short, this thing just barely reaches an hour with credits. Since it also inherits the slow, vignette-based pac...
Synduality: Noir Anime Series Review
If a stealth ensemble comedy that occasionally turns into mech action is your bag, Noir is a great time.
― The biggest worry with mixed media promotions like Synduality is that they'll be lazy, incomprehensible advertisements for some other part of the nascent franchise. While there are some late-game allusions and even cameos from the story of the Synduality: Echo of Ada, everything you need to know...
Gamera -Rebirth- Anime Series Review
It's a shame that the ugliness of Gamera -Rebirth-'s visuals will likely turn away a good many potential fans because underneath all of that jank is a solid kaiju adventure.
― It's been a long time since us kaiju fans have gotten any new Gamera material to sink our beaks into — the last live-action film, Gamera the Brave, came out nearly twenty years ago, and it's been nearly thirty years since the c...
Baki Hanma Season 2 Anime Series Review
The final, multi-episode spanning fight between Baki and Yujiro also lived up to the hype and is one of the best in the series.
― I hate that there's a sexual assault scene in this season of Baki, and mad enough about it that this review is opening with my analysis of what's easily the worst part of the season. The second episode of this season opens with revived caveman Pickle sexually assaulting a ...
Baki Hanma Season 1 Anime Series Review
I thought Baki Hanma lacked same surprise and spectacle that most fans have come to expect from the series. And then, in the next episode, Baki kidnaps a legally distinct George W. Bush.
― Baki Hanma, sometimes and confusingly titled Hanma Baki — Son of Ogre, is weird! It's ostentatious. It's homoerotic. It's dumb, but in a ‘dudes rock’ kind of way that ends up being both a critique and celebration o...
Sweet Reincarnation Anime Series Review
This show is an uncomfortable combination of engaging and utterly dull.
― When you do a little research and realize just how many light novels Sweet Reincarnation currently has, you know that the anime adaptation can only scratch the surface in twelve episodes. With twenty-four books out as of July 2023, the show has two options: condense like mad or resign to serving as an advertisement for the sour...
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