It seems to me that I haven’t given Shokugeki no Souma it’s full measure of respect. I’ve been saying from the beginning that Food Wars was a series that definitely gets better and more interesting as it progresses, and while those of you that read the manga knew that was […] Read more
You think that was bad, you should see what it’s like during a big sale at Mitsukoshi. Classroom☆Crisis – 01 Full disclosure: I didn’t make it through the entire first episode of Classroom☆Crisis. I think it’s always important to note that so as not to give the impression that I’m […] Read more
Welcome back, NoitaminA – it’s almost like you never left. OP: “Speed to Masatsu (スピードと摩擦)” by amazarashi No doubt, this season is front-loaded, so I’m not going to let this heady start make me giddy. But there’s no two ways about the fact that in Gangsta and Ranpo Kitan, Summer […] Read more
Time to put the Manglobe curse to the test. OP: “Renegade” by STEREO DIVE FOUNDATION So begins the Summer 2015 anime season, and it kicks off with one of my most anticipated series (and your most anticipated, so far). And Gangsta doesn’t disappoint – it’s everything I expected it to […] Read more
Fortunately, Kyoukai no Rinne’s humor translates more easily than some of its dialogue. It’s official – Ageha is officially the anti-Mamiya Sakura. Whereas our heroine is cynical, unflappable and emotionally closed off, Ageha is everything Mamiya Sakura is not. She seems never to have had an unexpressed thought or emotion, […] Read more
For a series as superficially predictable as this one, Ore Monogatari offers up a surprising number of surprises. Every so often a line of dialogue crops up that reveals itself to be useful in a wide variety of situations. For me, Midousuji’s description of Onoda-kun in Yowamushi Pedal – “He’s […] Read more
The peculiarities of Japanese baseball never cease to surprise me. Any way you slice it, the Seidou v. Ugumori matchup feels like a stop on the journey, not a real destination. When you consider that this is a game against a secondary opponent – a preamble – and part of […] Read more
It’s tough out there for a prince. Things just aren’t getting any easier for Arslan – and as if a new invasion force wasn’t bad enough, now he has to endure a recap episode next week (quality animation like this doesn’t draw itself, you know). On the plus side, there’s […] Read more
So ends a real head-scratcher of a season for Sidonia no Kishi. In many ways, I’m at a loss to explain Daikyuu Wakusei Seneki. There was an awful lot of plot drift here – in fact, I’d go so far as to say the entire cour could easily have been […] Read more
Enter the tennis mom. “I play tennis for a living, even though I hate tennis, hate it with a dark and secret passion, and always have.” – Andre Agassi Given that Baby Steps is probably the most comprehensive look at youth sports in manga history (I would place only […] Read more