Mawaru Penguin Drum is certainly bringing its “A” game in terms of emotional impact and suspense, but Ikuhara still isn’t making it easy to feel comfortable in knowing just what’s going on. Let’s review a few items of import that were revealed tonight: Sanetoshi feels the diary is his enemy. […] Read more
Guilty Crown still inhabits that vast middle ground between mediocrity and genuine quality, with only its sublime visuals to set it apart from the crowd. The best thing about the sixth episode was probably that Gai’s “death” wasn’t milked for false drama – it was literally revealed in the first […] Read more
I ended last week’s post by wondering what the results of the first anime-original episode of UN-GO would be like. We have our answer – absolutely bloody brilliant. I sort of suspected that, absent the constraints of trying to adapt Ango’s unusual source material to the 22-minute format, the highly […] Read more
Episode 9 had a little something for everyone – elephants, betrayal, murder, and the best CGI tea wares you’ll ever see. Add some of the most suspenseful and exciting moments Hyouge Mono has offered, and you have an instant classic. As much as I love this series, the sporadic episode […] Read more
Some might call it a weakness, for for me one of the strengths of Mashiroiro Symphony is that even when it’s trying to be a little mean, it can’t help but be nice. I won’t dispute that the series has suffered a bit from the recent focus on Sana and […] Read more
Tamayura Hitotose – 07 When I hear a phrase like “Road of Aspiration” I always think there must be no proper English translation for what was intended in the original Japanese. In any case, the matter in question is a local festival in Takehara, not dissimilar to other matsuri we’ve […] Read more
For a game that seemed so simple when I first learned of it, I’m finding myself continually surprised by how many different ways there are to look at Karuta. It almost acts as a mirror held up to each character, revealing their true nature to the audience – and eventually, […] Read more
Not that anyone should care, but the first chapter of tonight’s episode was like a travelogue of my first visit to Japan… The mystery of Shinryaku Ika Musume’s setting is solved, thanks to a sightseeing trip Eiko and Takeru take with Ika-chan after Chizuru’s running has worn them down. It’s […] Read more
I can think of very few fictional characters that exemplify the old adage “double-edged sword” better than Yuno Gasai. Or if you prefer, “Can’t live with ‘em – can’t live without ‘em”. In this case those old sayings are quite a bit more literal than normal – but then, there’s […] Read more
“Please, Master Rikuo – do that thing with me again…” It’s almost as if Nurarihyon has been saving double entendres for two years, and did a massive download for the first five minutes of this episode. “He did it with Zen, too?!” Never mind the expression on Itaku’s face when […] Read more