It’s at the point now where I notice every anniversary in Japan. I went to a couple of Tori no Ichi festivals last November, soon after I arrived in Japan, and did a post on it then. But I decided to check out the big one this year, in Asakusa’s […] Read more
This show has more pan than my local bakery. I continue to find Ryo-timo’s approach to fanservice far more interesting than I probably should. It seems to me that there are fanservice shows in plenty, and then there are non-fanservice shows where a glimpse of panties is a shocking and […] Read more
I don’t want to say that episode was tense, but if the phone had rang while I was watching it I suspect I’d have bitten my hand off. Hunter X Hunter continues it’s longest stretch without Gon and Killua since the “York Shin” arc, but at least we had that […] Read more
As Harry Caray used to say, the big possums walk late… The motif for this episode was definitely chess. It’s not coincidental that military strategists have historically been good chess players, or that the game itself draws so heavily on the phraseology and indeed mindset of war (and the reverse […] Read more
Yowapeda is the fastest 22 minutes in anime, even on the climbs. This is a tough business, this competitive cycling. There’s a reason Grand Tour specialists who make their living in days or weeks-long endurance events have turned to PEDs so extensively that they’ve caused the sport incalculable damage in […] Read more
Here’s a bit more koyo for you, this time the famous “Gingko Avenue” near Jingu Gaien, between Gaienmae and Aoyama-Itchome stations (the later being on the routing of my commuter pass, happily). A few days early, I think, but still impressive. Read more
My name is Guardian Enzo, and I admit it – I really liked this episode. If I’d read a detailed description of this episode before I watched it, or hell, even the whole script, I would have bet a considerable sum of money that I wouldn’t have liked it as […] Read more
This constant examination and competition may be pretty heartless, but I can’t deny it really separates the wheat from the chaff. As I said last week, this training arc is a pretty good zone for Uchuu Kyoudai. Group dynamics and Mutta’s internal conflicts are the meat and potatoes of this […] Read more
We have met the enemy, and he is us. It’s 9:35 PM in Tokyo, and another excellent sports anime is going virtually unnoticed in the English-speaking world. I’m used to it by now but that doesn’t make it any less disappointing to me, yet it’s an inescapable fact – sports […] Read more
Um, so yeah, that whole thing you guys are doing? It really doesn’t work. Plan A: Invite girl you know loves your boyfriend along on an onsen weekend over Christmas. Plan B: Make lobotomy appointment. At this point, the realization is hit me that the reason White Album 2 hits […] Read more