When I trial a show based solely on the studio behind it and nothing else, things rarely end well… Houkago no Pleiades – 01 Truth be told, it’s hard for me to watch Houkago no Pleiades without a heavy heart, and that’s because of what it isn’t rather than what […] 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
Next week had damn well better be worth the wait. Diamond no Ace – 74 As is too often the case with Daiya no A lately, we have to be patient through an awful lot of twaddle to get to the good stuff. And this time around we didn’t even […] Read more
I had no idea when I called Shirobako a WUG for the anime production world that it would turn out to be as true as it has. Shirobako – 05 First off, I would certainly acknowledge that Shirobako is an interesting series – and that it’s better, on the whole, […] Read more
Sometimes, wanting to like a series just isn’t enough. Rolling Girls – 02 Rolling Girls is definitely an odd duck of a show. I could see where someone who hasn’t seen the Gainax and neo-Gainax series (especially FLCL) this one tries so desperately to mimic might find this to be […] Read more
In the parched desert that is Winter 2015, any possibility of sustenance must at least be investigated. Junketsu no Maria – 01 (Pre-air) I wouldn’t go so far as to say Junketsu no Maria was a sleeper going in, but in a schedule nearly bereft of interesting prospects it was […] Read more
That was a really heartwarming, feel-good episode of anime. Oh, and I watched Shirobako too. Shirobako – 04 Looks like I spoke to soon in the Fall Check-in – Shirobako is the kind of show its previews suggested it would be, for one week at least. I found this CGBC […] Read more
In blogging terms, it looks like these series are two ships passing in the night. Gugure! Kokkuri-san – 04 Well, that was certainly an unexpected development. Going into this episode I really felt like this show was in need of some fresh ideas – Episode 3 had a whiff of […] Read more
If anime were played at bars on casino floors in Vegas, Psycho-Pass 2 would be a perfect fit. Shirobako – 03 Shirobako continues to be a modestly interesting take on the trials and tribulations of the anime production process, though I do find myself wishing it would refrain from inserting […] Read more
Three episodes isn’t always enough… Gugure! Kokkuri-san – 03 Gugure! Kokkuri-san is going to be a tough series to decide on, blogging-wise. I definitely like it, but my concern from the beginning was whether the humor here would be a little one-note and hard to sustain over a full cour. […] Read more