In a sense, this is a pretty easy review to write. There’s nothing too subtle about the appeal of this series – it’s just solid – make that excellent – straightforward shounen. This is an old formula custom-tailored to appeal to a young male demographic – take some supernatural, superpowers, […] Read more
We finally get our OP this week, and it’s a good one – a suitably industrial-sounding J-rock number with blood-red tinged visuals of the characters in grotesquely sultry poses. Based on the PV for episode 3, it definitely looks like Manglobe is planning to tell this story in 12 episodes […] Read more
But first, a little story. Doctor Who is probably the very first thing I was an otaku for. Before I knew what anime or manga was (though I’d seen “Star Blazers” and “Speed Racer”) I was staying up late on Sunday nights, watching “Who” on WTTW in Chicago at 11:00 […] Read more
This one keeps striving to top itself, setting a pretty high standard for tastelessness and shock value after only three episodes. This week, we meet an overweight stalker who has contracted the salamander demon, Kimitake-sensei, to help him marry the pretty model he’s stalking. Sakuma is naturally suspicious, but Kimitake’s […] Read more
Things progressed shockingly quickly in this episode, all things considered. An awful lot of things that hadn’t happened for 13 episodes finally did here, and it was a lot to take in – kind of a character development and plot overload for a show that has generally moved things along […] Read more
How does it feel to be present at the birth of a phenomenon? That’s what it feels like with Madoka Magica. Deserved or not, intended or not, it seems the zeal for this series has transcended fandom and become obsession. The “Church of Madoka” has, as ofthis writing, 2300 […] Read more
Hyouge Mono is without question the strangest and unlikeliest anime of this increasingly impressive Spring season. It comports to almost no accepted anime standard that I’m aware of. It features no moe, no cute girls, almost no women at all, no bishounen, and in the midst of the bloodiest period […] Read more
Overshadowed in the tremendous hoopla surrounding the finale of Madoka Magica (she died for your sins) is the second episode of SHAFT’s Spring effort, Denpa Onna. And after that episode, I’m still not quite sure what we have going on here – and whether I’m a fan of the series […] Read more
STILL Eeeeevil! Whatever else you might care to say about Puella Magi Madoka Magica, it’s one of the most talked-about anime in many a year. Japan or the West, it doesn’t matter – fans everywhere were literally and figuratively atwitter over this remarkably original spin on the Mahou Shoujo genre. […] Read more
Still eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeevil! It’s easy to forget now, but when the last episode of this show aired is was 3/10/11. That’s a date that I suspect will always conjure up the same memories when uttered as 9/10/01 would to an American – the day before the world changed, forever. For me […] Read more