Every season, like clockwork, there’s a show that’s not on my radar screen that crashes the party in a big way. Well… Simply put, the first episode of Hataraku Maou-sama was excellent in every way. I hadn’t initially paid much attention to this series, thinking it looked like a rather […] Read more
For a series that packed as much into a first episode as Karneval did, it’s surprising how little of an impression it left on me. I really want to like Manglobe series. They tend to take on idiosyncratic projects that don’t appear to have obvious commercial appeal, and they can […] Read more
My initial reaction when I saw the synposes and trailer for this series was that it might be a spoof. After seeing the premiere, my reaction is “it better be”. It doesn’t get any more old-school than the premise behind Ginga Kikoutai Majestic Prince: a bunch of teens at a […] Read more
And so it begins in earnest. A trickle today becomes a flood as the premieres come fast and furious, and this is the first of a veritable busload of sci-fi and mecha debuts (not including the pustulent Date A Live). My First Impressions posts are likewise going to be fast […] Read more
For Tsuritama fans, you can always go home again. I decided to pay another visit to Enoshima on my last day of Spring break. I’ve been fighting a nasty cold but I was able to make the trip thanks to the wonders of Japanese ibuprofen, which contains lots of caffeine […] Read more
Based on what I’ve been reading today, this may be another series where my take and the mass opinion are two ships passing in the night. Let’s get two things established straight away: I really, really liked this premiere a lot. I can easily see where the show could go […] Read more
After 3 seasons and 75 episodes, Bakuman got the glorious and happy conclusion it so richly deserved. For a series that’s offered up a fair bit of tension and suspense over its long run, there actually wasn’t a whole lot left for the finale. It was pretty clear what was […] Read more
I still see some warning signs, but Red Data Girl continues to command my interest after three episodes. There are certainly times where my views diverge from mass opinion when it comes to anime, and it’s beginning to look as if RDG may be one of them. Considering the amount […] Read more
I don’t think I can blame this one on Niconico. Because it was in the Spring Preview post, I’m doing a “First Impressions” on Date A Live. But it’s going to be a short one – my first impression is that it sucks. I can’t discount the possibility that the […] Read more
No huge surprises here. I felt pretty confident Attack on Titan was going to claim the top spot in the poll, but I’m mildly surprised to see RDG hang onto second place after its lukewarm reception. For those of you who like to compare, the RC poll is currently running […] Read more