Not for the first time, Valvrave the Liberator has gotten into a serious groove. This series is one that seems to run on momentum more than most: not just the narrative drive that makes the best episodes really hum, but for 2-3 episode stretches – almost as if the story […] Read more
Let me tell you two useful pieces of information. One: This episode was so much better than the first four that it’s hard to believe it’s a part of the same series. Two: Characters matter. I’ve been waiting for some reason, any reason, to feel a sense of excitement about […] Read more
What a fascinating puzzle Golden Time is turning out to be. This is a very tough series for me to figure out. There are for me some very awkward elements to the presentation, as I’ve pointed out in prior posts. Some of the stabs at humor fall very flat, and […] Read more
That was a pretty good example of how a series can turn on a dime. If you want a dramatic shift, Samurai Flamenco could be just the show you’re looking for. We went from last week’s unequalled (this season) explosion of pure fun to a sometimes pretty ugly and even […] Read more
Classic Okada, that one – for better and for worse. Here’s what I said in my spirited defense of Nagi no Asukara after the third episode: I am aware that there’s a certain manipulative quality to the writing here, as there is in much of Okada’s work. I’m not blind, […] Read more
Yep, still great. I’m seriously starting to worry about Kyousogiga. It’s not so much the show itself – although approaching the halfway point of a series that has a chance to be a masterpiece, there’s definitely a “Please, for the love of God don’t screw this up!” thing going on […] Read more
The people’s choice was clear this time around. Thanks for participating in the straw poll, which gave a clear win to Kyoukai no Kanata. Happily, that’s the one on the list that looks like it’s going to make the cut – the last two eps have been much better. Yozakura […] Read more
One stays, one goes. Kyoukai no Kanata – 05 It’s funny, but somewhere along the line KyouKan has leveled up a little and it’s hard to say exactly why. The last two eps have certainly been the best – it’s a bit more self-apparent with #4, which was simply the […] Read more
If I were to slap an idiom on that episode, it would be “Still Waters Run Deep”. Lest anyone think I’m unnecessarily bashing, let me re-state for the nth time – I like Shingeki no Kyoujin, and rather a lot too. Not only that but I think it’s rather good […] Read more
I can never watch one of these without big-time mixed-emotions. Ah, Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun – another great anime that tanked commercially. My endorsement (I ranked it #6 in a quite strong 2012) is surely the kiss of death for any series, but no matter how many times it happens it […] Read more