A VRMMORPG? What could possibly go wrong? Himouto! Umari-chan – 01 I can sum up my reasons for giving this series a shot in two words: Oota Masahiko. And that’s no exaggeration. I can truthfully say there’s nothing else in the premise that would have made me give Himouto! Umaru-chan […] Read more
That was a hug – no take-backs. OP2: “Ura no Ura” (裏の裏; The back of the back) by Passepied Spring’s most underrated series and funniest comedy rolls into its second cour with a new OP and ED, a shift in direction, but the same spot-on comedy. There wasn’t a series […] Read more
Better late than never, I suppose. I think I should probably explain why I’m taking the counter-intuitive step of covering the second Hoozuki no Reitetsu OVA before the first. The reason is the obvious one – somebody subbed this one first. You wouldn’t think one of the top-selling shows of […] Read more
Ore Monogatari has a remarkable ability to make the strangest things emotionally resonant. Here’s a serious question: if the main pairing in a romantic comedy is the weakest part of the series, is that a weakness or a strength? In a vacuum, I suppose I would reluctantly have to answer […] Read more
That put a big smile on my face. Here’s another of the shows on my sleeper list headed into the season – the B-list, at least. And this time around I’m very happy, because based on one episode it feels like the positive inkling I had going in was justified. […] Read more
Expectations are funny things. The giant ball of suck that is Funimation finally decided to release Joukamachi no Dandelion, almost a week after it aired in Japan. I’m not sure just when Funi decided its calling was to make the lives of English-speaking anime fans generally and bloggers especially a […] Read more
To thine own baka be true. It occurs to me in watching the first inning of the Seidou-Ugumori clash play out that Diamond no Ace is really the story of two idiots. But crucially, they’re very different kinds of idiots – and I think the whole question of the “ace” […] Read more
“And they lived happily ever after.” Wait – what? Here’s a couple things I’m feeling thankful for: 1. Shoujo Fantasy adaptations 2. Bones It would perhaps be hyperbolic to raise the “Where would anime be?” argument around shoujo fantasy – there’s still great stuff in other demographics and genres (especially […] Read more
Uwah. I confess it’s not a coincidence that Charlotte sat in my queue a little longer than the other shows released this weekend. I’ve tried to go into it with an open mind, but stuff kept getting thrown at me that made me highly cautious (including being told directly “You’ll […] Read more
Baby Steps has always been this good, but it’s kind of nice to see popular opinion starting to catch up. I’m not sure if Baby Steps is the most consistent series of the last few years, but it’s got to be pretty close. There just aren’t any lulls here – […] Read more