Well, that was a flawed but rather interesting first episode. Lots to like here, starting with a catchy OP sung by none other than Horie Yui, who we’ll be seeing more of later. Speaking of, this somewhat formulaic DEEN entry has a real All-Star cast – though I really think […] Read more
From out of nowhere – well, out of somewhere far, far off in space – comes the first hidden gem of the season in Level E. This was an odd choice for an adaptation – an old chestnut that ran in Shounen Jump way back from 1995-97. Pierrot and the […] Read more
Bakuman begins it’s “second season” with a truly excellent and (by its standards) fast-paced episode. We don’t get a new OP song, but “Blue Bird” is accompanied by a new set of visuals. The ED is all-new, and while the song is pleasant enough I loved the animation sequence. It […] Read more
From Shounen Jump manga Beelzebub, written and illustrated by Ryuhei Tamura, comes shounen specialists Pierrot’s anime adaptation. And based on one episode, there’s nothing especially noteworthy about the anime one way or the other. I haven’t read the manga, but I could see where there might be a certain wit […] Read more
After a week off, Letter Bee returns with a new episode that marks something of a sea change for the series. For me, this was quite different than any other episode of either series so far. But for all that, it was still Tegami Bachi and absolutely terrific. For starters […] Read more
It wouldn’t be a new season in Japan without another incest comedy, and the preposterously titled Oniichan no Koto Nanka Zenzen Suki Janain Dakara ne carries the banner forward for Winter 2011. It’s impossible not to compare this series to the likes of Kiss x Sis and especially Oreimo, coming […] Read more
Gachi Kick! If 2010 was the year of the comedy in anime, then Mitsudomoe was the comedy of the year. No other series managed to deliver as many huge laughs week after week, and no other show managed to dance so close to the cliff’s edge without falling off. Despite […] Read more
Wow, that was really… Really something. Yup, that’s what it was. I was squarely on the fence with this one coming in – the premise seemed quite shallow and derivative, but something told me there was sleeper hope here. I think if I had to choose one word to describe […] Read more
It really feels like years since I’ve written a blog post on an existing series, but in reality it’s just a bit over a week. Still, this is the first one of 2011 – and the Croce de Pietro arc wraps up after it’s one-week hiatus. There was a whole […] Read more
No question, Gosick was the one of the series I was most looking forward to this season. It has all the right elements in the pedigree – animated by BONES. Source material the outstanding manga written by Sakuraba Kazuki with gorgeous art by Amano Sakuya. Takashi Tomioka as Animation Director. […] Read more