I’ve lived here for a year now and that’s the first time I’ve heard “onegaishimasu” pronounced anything like that… Samurai Flamenco is off to a very promising start as far as I’m concerned, though I confess I’m a little worried about whether Manglobe is headed for yet another commercial debacle. […] Read more
Mecha and Onmyouji is a pretty unusual pairing for anime. Tokyo Ravens – 02 I place this show is the same broad category as Kyoukai no Kanata in terms of overall quality (perhaps a little better), but the two make an interesting contrast in terms of the reasons why. Whereas […] Read more
To watch Kyousogiga is to know instinctively that you’re in the presence of greatness. This season’s is a big anime schedule, and there are a number of quality shows on it – some of which are only one episode into their run and thus, far too young to try and […] Read more
Holding pattern, check. I’ve been searching for the right word to describe my experience in watching Kyoukai no Kanata, and I think “detached” is about as close as I can get. There’s nothing in here that I really dislike, per se – apart perhaps from a little irritation that Kyoto […] Read more
Happy 100th episode, Hunter X Hunter. It doesn’t seem right that on this occasion it’s the audience that receives yet another present, but so it is. It’s a milestone week yet again for the best anime on TV, as Hunter X Hunter reaches it’s 100th episode. I’d rank this alongside […] Read more
One thing you can definitely say about Yozakura Quartet – if the skirts were any shorter they’d be belts. Most of the discussion around Hana no Uta has predictably degenerated into the usual petty bickering about Yasuda’s manga designs vs. Ryo-Timo’s anime designs (an argument that felt old when it […] Read more
Otaku come in all shapes and sizes… Really good sports anime have a quality of building anticipation such that as soon as one episode ends, the first thought in your head is “I can’t wait for the next one to start”. It’s early yet, but given how good I know […] Read more
Just for fun I thought I’d pair up two of the most mismatched shows ever. Gingitsune – 02 Gingitsune is certainly a steak without a whole lot of sizzle. While the art is quite attractive the animation itself is quite basic, even rough. Plot-wise the focus so far has been […] Read more
Audience-wise, I think this is where Diamond no Ace starts separating the wheat from the chaff. Considering that the source manga is 38 volumes and counting, an awful lot happened in the first two episodes of Ace of Diamond. This isn’t an entirely unusual scenario for sports manga, where there’s […] Read more
Ah, Russia – the land where nesting dolls are everywhere. refrigerators have nothing but vodka in them and every man is named Tolstoy… I think it’s fair to say that for most of its run, I would have been quite skeptical if you’d told me that we’d see an episode […] Read more