These are going to be short and sweet I’m afraid, as I try to sort through this huge season and see if any of these shows are going to make it into the rotation. K – 02 I still sort of like K, though it remains a case of style […] Read more
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Ginga e Kickoff – 21-22
Shaka, when the walls fell. As a template for series about sports and series about kids, it would be hard to top Ginga e Kickoff. There was advancement for just about every character in the series over these two eps, the first of which covered the second half of the […] Read more
Little Busters – 02
About the best compliment I can pay to the second episode of Little Busters is this: I’m not quite sure why I enjoyed it as much as I did. I’ll be honest – there was quite a bit in this episode that under normal circumstances would make me cringe (a […] Read more
Sword Art Online – 15
I used to have a sign above my desk that said, “It is what it is” and the people who worked for me were more than a little sick of hearing that phrase, I’m sure. I still trot it out when the moment fits, and watching SAO seems to be […] Read more
Tokyo Diaries – Yokohama, Cat Therapy and Laundry Detergent
A full day today, as the rain trickled down. I’d never been to Yokohama, so I thought it’d be fun to check out. I didn’t see the black ships but I did see Yokohama’s Chinatown, and got a sense for why this considered the most international of Japanese cities. There’s […] Read more
Uchuu Kyoudai – 28
When you have emotional honesty like that, you don’t need anything else to make a great anime episode. I probably haven’t spent enough time talking about Watanabe Ayumu, the director behind Space Brothers. “The other Watanabe” did a fantastic job with Nazo no Kanojo X, and he’s acing it here […] Read more
Hunter X Hunter 2011 – 51
OK, that was officially my favorite H x H episode that didn’t feature my two favorite characters… You know the drill – episode was awesome, blah blah blah. Well, sorry, but it was – with a beautifully creepy and almost sentimental buildup that led to one of the all time-sucker […] Read more
First Impressions Omnibus – Code:Breaker, Ixion Saga DT, Chousoku Henkei Gyrozetter, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
Here’s some overdue thoughts on premières I haven’t had time to cover. I kind of doubt I’ll be able to fit any into the rotation, but I won’t completely rule them out. Code: Breaker – 01 This one interests me mainly for the presence of Irie Yasuhiro as director, as […] Read more
Gokukuji Temple
Here are a few pics from the lovely Gokukuji Temple complex in Western Tokyo. Sort of a forgotten temple for some reason, but it’s quite impressive. Read more
Shin Sekai Yori – 03
Three episodes in and I’ve seen absolutely nothing to make me rethink my opinion that Shin Sekai Yori is the best new series of the Fall. So far, it’s one of the best series of the year. On balance, it would be pretty hard to find much to criticize in […] Read more