There’s an awful lot that’s familiar here, for better or worse. For a while it seemed as if Kyoukai no Rinne was going to be orphaned altogether in the English-language market, which seems a bit of a travesty for a Takahashi Rumiko series – even second-tier Rumiko. But CR has […] Read more
I think the time has come for me to admit it – I’m a taikotaku. While the output it’s produced has understandably been inconsistent, I’m heartily glad Anime Mirai exists. Every year has produced a really good-to-great offering (Oji-san no Lamp, Death Billiards, Harmonie) and with Aki no Kanade, 2015 […] Read more
In the end, there’s no substitute for personal experience. We got a break in the weather for a few hours yesterday, so I headed over to the Kyoto Gosho – the Imperial Palace, which is holding one of its two brief public openings this week. Normally you need to book […] Read more
New cour, same Fate. I honestly didn’t expect a whole lot to change with UBW simply because three months have passed – this is very much one contiguous series, just as the split cours of Fate/Zero were. I like what I always liked – the production values are simply stunning, […] Read more
That was one fascinating mess. Kekkai Sensen has been one of the great unknowns of the Spring schedule for me, a series from a great studio (Bones) with a hugely promising young director (Matsumoto Rie, Kyousousgiga) from a legendary mangaka (Nightrow Yasuhiro, author of Trigun). The staff and cast are […] Read more
It’s just not possible to overstate how good it feels to have Baby Steps back. OP: “Believe in Yourself” by Mao Abe (阿部 真央 If you’re not aware of how much I love Baby Steps you must be new around here – I’ve been extolling its virtues since long before […] Read more
This is definitely not A-1’s finest day. Gunslinger Stratos – 01 My attachment to Gunslinger Stratos was always pretty tenuous – basically, Urobuchi Gen’s tangential involvement in drafting the scenario for the game the anime is based on. I went into this story about a future where Japan is split […] Read more
This is the first premiere that really needs to be good if Spring 2015 is going to have a chance. So is it? Yep. The hate I’ve seen directed towards this adaptation of “The Heroic Legend of Arslan” is almost as epic in proportion as Tanaka Yoshiki’s novel series. That’s […] Read more
I certainly didn’t expect this to be the most enjoyable preview so far. Here’s a snapshot of my initial reaction to Owari no Seraph: “Damn, it’s great to hear Miyu Irino again.” “Hey – did I stumble into a Tomm Moore film?” Speaking of shows that are not mass-produced models, […] Read more
I hardly know where to begin with that one. This is the first premiere I was really looking forward to with something like genuine burning curiosity – and it both did and didn’t disappoint. Plastic Memories was one of my sleepers for the season, and as there aren’t many of […] Read more