You rarely see anime depict what we’re seeing happen to Sharon, never mind in such stark and uncertain terms. There’s a lot of sadness in Aunt Sharon’s story, there’s no two ways about it. It’s a risky move for Space Brothers to focus on this development, frankly, because even if […] Read more
I wish anime seasons synched up with the Tokyo weather. Summer in Japan rolls on, unbearably hot and humid, but it’s time to turn our attention to the Fall anime season. It’s been a pretty odd year for anime – Summer has proved to be a better season than Spring […] Read more
Well, that was certainly the best Higurashi animation in years. I certainly never expected to blog Higurashi again. I had no plans to blog this OVA, in fact, but when it was over and I realized how much I liked it I discovered I wanted to say a few words […] Read more
Japan is everywhere, if you look for it. It’s the first day of Autumn break from school, so I took a long walk in the precincts near my apartment. I wasn’t planning on doing anything but walking and observing, but I happened to have my tablet with me and since […] Read more
It might not sound like a big deal, but I think this is pretty major news. In a move that might have been inevitable, NTV is switching Hunter X Hunter to late nights. This Sunday’s broadcast will apparently be the last 10:55 AM new episode premiere – starting 10/8, H […] Read more
Mengs are breaking out all over. Last week marked the first time we’d received confirmation (via a rather offhand “Grandfather” from Meng Tian) that the While Elder, Meng Ao, was part of the same immediate family. So it’s only logical that the middle generation should show up this week in […] Read more
Of all the 2013 series that end up on my year-end Top 10 list, it’s very possible that Watamote will be the one I least expected to find there. It’s not an exaggeration to say that shows like Watashi ga Motenai no wa Dou Kangaete mo Omaera ga Warui! (I […] Read more
Short impressions for a short show. This series was on my sleeper list, but that was before I realized it was going to be a 5-minute anime. I’ve enjoyed some short form series a lot, but developing strong characters is basically an impossibility in this format, and this premise – […] Read more
It’s the quiet ones you have to watch out for. Mushibugyou is screaming towards the finish with all engines at full throttle, delivering big-time both in terms of action and character drama. It’s always nice when a series you imagine is going to be an entertaining trifle turns out to […] Read more
Kaminai was true to itself to the very end, for better or worse – and gave us a finale that had a whole lot of both. I guess it’s fitting for a series that had a dead-ringer (pun intended) for a finale after three episodes to have an actual finale […] Read more