Global warming skeptics might want to skip this one. We’re still well into March, but not only have the Sakura started to bud, they’re expected to reach full peak in the Tokyo area this weekend – full two weeks earlier than average and the earliest on record. A string warm […] Read more
I think any worries that Zetsuen no Tempest would slip out of character and go for a subtle, understated ending can safely be set aside… As guest-hosting gigs go this certainly is a pretty good one, so thanks to Zephyr for asking me to fill in for him covering Zetsuen’s […] Read more
Looking for a bright side, at least Kotoura-san will have a chance to go out on a better note than it would have if this were the final episode. I have an awful lot of affection for Kotoura-san so I’d rather not dwell too much on this episode, because it […] Read more
I fear next Thursday evening isn’t going to be pretty for me… It can’t really be any surprise that an episode featuring the double-bill of Grizzly-kun and Llama-san would be a winner. In a show full of hilarious and totally endearing supporting characters, these two may just be the best. […] Read more
When it comes to drama, emotional honesty can overcome an awful lot. I’ll be very honest – I had some serious reservations once it became clear which way this episode was headed. Bakuman set itself a pretty high hurdle to leap with the public audition storyline, and to say I […] Read more
It seems as if you can always count on Christmas for an appearance by Hosaka. After Makoto’s star turn last week, Minami-ke trotted out its other outlandish male supporting character this week, and two characters more different you could hardly find. Yet there are commonalities between the two of them […] Read more
Ah, Kud-o – superficially you may seem like a moeblob at first glance, but there’s no one else quite like you. Kudryavka strike box!! I had some forewarning (not through any choice of my own, mind you) that the Kud arc was going to be a pretty dramatic tonal shift […] Read more
Uchuu Kyoudai continues to make this annoying cliffhanger weekend. I still suspect that how viewers enjoyed the JAXA exam arc – especially the isolation pod sequence – is a pretty good barometer of how they’re likely the current one. I know that exam phase wasn’t a hit with everyone – […] Read more
It’s just not fair for a show to be this good for this long. How am I supposed to keep thinking of new things to say? If the format or style of my Hunter X Hunter posts changes at all, it’s not because my affection for the show has diminished […] Read more
I’ve spent a lifetime railing against the cruel cliffhanger, but that was definitely one of the Top 10 for sheer torture. Two quick thoughts for starters… I actually muted the sound and played Wareta Ringo over the ED animation. Wish I’d thought of it weeks ago. I was sure there […] Read more