Oh, deer – that was a truly awful pun in the title. Another beautiful spring day in Kansai, so I headed down to Nara on the Kintestu Line. I’d been to Nara a couple of times before but not for a few years. Saw a few familiar sights like Todaiji, […] Read more
For me, there’s no question Tokyo Ghoul is the most vexing show of the season. What a strange series this is. There’s definitely some Kiseijuu in its genes, but the spin it puts on its tragic storyline is novel and interesting. But for every moment where it seems as if […] Read more
Travel is a lot like life – there are guidebooks, but they’re no substitute for experience. The start of the Keihan Otsu Line is about 10 minutes away from Kyoto Station by train, but it feels much farther away. And the relative lack of tourists – especially foreign – certainly […] Read more
That was certainly a thoughtful, thought-provoking turn of events. There haven’t been many anime episodes in recent memory that have left me as deeply mired in contemplation as this episode of Kiseijuu did. I certainly wasn’t expecting a neat and tidy conclusion from a moral standpoint (and indeed, this story […] Read more
It’s all happening… It’s always nice when a series finishes with its best stuff, and that’s what seems to be happening with Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei-bu Love!. After delivering its comic tour de force last week, it gives is its most serious (though still funny) episode this time, and in […] Read more
That wasn’t quite what I was expecting. Let me just start out by noting that last week’s comments section was a disaster – a minefield of manga spoilers. The damage is done, but I’ll ask everyone to please give the spoilers – disguised or not – a pass. Don’t “clarify” […] Read more
That episode was a thing of beauty in every way. I don’t know why I continue to be surprised by Kamisama Hajmemashita, because it’s not as though it isn’t consistently excellent week-in and week-out. Yet somehow this series never seems to be at the forefront of my consciousness – it’s […] Read more
I wonder if Manami is a student of Greek mythology? “Come along, Father,” Icarus shouted over the sound of the wind rushing past them. “Smile, we’ve done it, we’ve escaped and we’re free.” “When my feet are back on solid ground and that island is many, many miles behind us, […] Read more
Every day is special in Kyoto. Nothing too much to say about these – it’s just a collection of some odds and ends from the last couple of weeks in Kansai. There are some shots of Chushojima, the historic sake district in South Kyoto, as well as Uji (a return […] Read more
There are no mysteries and very few surprises with Haikyuu, but that’s certainly not a bad thing. There’s no question in my mind that Haikyuu is the spiritual successor to Ookiku Furikabutte (which is actually still ongoing). They’re both series that celebrate the loveable goofiness of the teenage male to […] Read more