If you’ve never been to Kyoto, it’s mighty hard to grasp the sheer magic of the place. In a way I find it a rather frustrating destination, because no matter how much time I spend here I can always find a list of things a mile long that I don’t […] Read more
A new season, a new OP and ED, and to some extent, a different sort of Space Brothers. OP4: “Small World” by Fujifabric Thanks to “Hugo” a lot more people thatn used to know about “A Trip to the Moon” and Georges Méliès – then importance of both to the […] Read more
Series this good really shouldn’t run as long as Hunter X Hunter. I’m running out of new things to say when I sing its praises. Things great shounen can be about: Friendship Adventure Growing stronger Fighting evil “Where are you, Dad?” I’m going to have to repeat some of […] Read more
It’s safe to say that premiere was substantially different than I expected. I’m not sure what I thought Cuticle Detective Inaba was going to be, given that I don’t know the source material, but this was definitely way zanier than I expected from the promo materials. This series is a […] Read more
Now there’s one that’s significantly more intriguing than I expected… OP: “Girlish Lover” by Chinatsu Akasaki, Yukari Tamura, Hisako Kanemoto and Ai Kayano At first glance, Oreshura seems like a series that could hardly be more formulaic. To be honest, at second and third-glance too, and maybe after staring at […] Read more
That was an interesting mix of the conventional and the not-so-much. OP: “Mukaikaze (向かい風; Headwind)” by YOHKO I don’t think there’s any question that Maoyuu Mao Yuusha goes into the season with extremely high expectations. In a schedule mostly lacking in really interesting new shows (though heavy on good carry-overs […] Read more
This is the sort of series for which the phrase “The plot thickens” was invented. I’ve lavished a lot of praise on this series over the first 13 episodes, which is fine because I think it’s deserved all of it. But I’m still finding myself struck by new things that […] Read more
In reading my series review of Kokoro Connect, I’m struck by how little my mind has been changed by anything in “Michi Random”. The first thought that pops into my mind after watching the first episode of “Michi Random” is “Random, my ass” – because more so than with any […] Read more
Without a doubt, 2012 was a very good year to be an anime fan. A while back I made a post about what I consider the best anime season ever, Spring of 2007. In that post (which was right about the beginning of Spring 2012) I speculated that the coming […] Read more
That was an ending that matched the character of the series perfectly. Two series by Akitarou Daichi ended this week, and that’s a sad thing. I’ve argued here on many occasions that the director is an absolutely critical part of an anime’s success or failure, and probably the least understood […] Read more