While Chuunibyou never achieved real profundity in its final episode, I think it crafted a finale that was true to itself. In a sense, I think this series had written itself into a corner going into the last episode, but not necessarily in a bad way. The fact is that […] Read more
“State of Mind” Sorry Takako-sensei, but these 20-page chapters after waiting a month just aren’t cutting it. I’m sure this can’t be the first, but I can’t recall another chapter where Nitorin didn’t appear in the flesh (he does show up briefly in Takatsuiki’s daydream). While the depth of the […] Read more
These two series are a textbook example of extremely different approaches to storytelling. Kamisama Hajimemashita – 11 Kamisama Kiss continues to be a marvel of consistency, providing solid entertainment every week while maintaining a near-perfect balance between humor and emotional depth. It’s easy to see that this is the work […] Read more
Damn you, Brains Base – why must you torture us with masterful adaptations that stop in the middle? It won’t be spoiling much suspense when I say that Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun is a lock for my 2012 Top Ten list, and the reasons are manifold. In fact, one interesting thing […] Read more
While Btooom was unable to carry over its momentum from last week, Magi sails along without missing a beat. Btooom! – 11 I have to tell myself that Madhouse is getting all the Btooom out of their system before Chihayafuru starts up – kind of like a karmic colon cleanse. […] Read more
I confess to feeling a bit troubled after these episodes of Bakuman. Bakuman has been on a pretty nice run for a long time. In fact, starting with the final arc of S1 I’d say it’s been remarkably consistent – and consistently good – for almost two full seasons worth […] Read more
Ultimately, I think this is a series that wants to go in predictable directions. There’s nothing wrong with formula that’s executed well, but I confess the last couple of episodes of Sukitte have frustrated me quite a bit. There wasn’t a whole lot that happened this week that wasn’t by […] Read more
I can only imagine what the tenor of the discussion is going to be like this week. Let me state up front that I enjoyed this episode, as I’ve enjoyed all of them so far to some extent. But I’m also not going to offer up an extended rebuttal against […] Read more
The beginning of a new arc of H x H brings with it a whole lot of excitement. OP4 Sequence: So long York Shin (the arc, not the city – yet), hello Greed Island (the arc, not the game – yet). With a new arc, we get a new opening […] Read more
That was definitely a three-hankie episode. I’m still not happy about the way the moment was teased and delayed, which felt a little bit beneath Uchuu Kyoudai’s usual standards. But if there’s one thing I have to say about this show, it’s that it gets the big emotional moments just […] Read more