Seems like the reservation for four at Heartbreak Hotel hasn’t been cancelled. In a way, watching kids be casually cruel to each other is more painful than any Urobutcher despair-fest.  It’s because it’s something we’ve all seen and experienced in our own lives (much unlike any Gen series I can […] Read more

I’m starting to re-think a few of my assumptions about Isshuukan Friends. I know I said last week that this isn’t the sort of series that has villains, but Kujoe Hajime is starting to make me doubt myself a bit.  At the very least, he’s doing a fine job of […] Read more

Sucker punch, check. I started off last week’s post by saying I was steeling myself for an emotional haymaker, but such was the mastery of this episode that it still packed a lot of wallop.  I did indeed know it was coming (and not from having read this far in […] Read more

I’m steeling myself for the emotional haymaker I suspect is coming. Isshuukan Friends is a pretty unique series in being able to pull off what it does the way it does.  I shudder to think what this sort of material about these characters with this general tone could be like […] Read more

The charm offensive was off the charts this week. If you’ve ever been to Ikenoue Station on the Keio Inokashira Line – where I’m 99% sure Isshuukan Friends is set, despite having changed the station name to “Midorikawa” – you know it’s the perfect setting for this series.  It’s as […] Read more

Looks like Kaori-chan better watch her back – she has some competition in the Hase department. Can a single character – or seiyuu performance – ruin an otherwise good show for someone?  It’s an interesting question, and in the abstract my experience tells me that the answer is absolutely “yes” […] Read more

This episode certainly poses the age-old question – can you have too much of a good thing? My tolerance level with Isshuukan Friends is pretty high, in every respect.  I take a lot from this series that I might not with most because I admire what the show is trying […] Read more

This series is definitely the express to the right side of the brain. I’m noticing an interesting effect with Isshuukan Friends, which is that invariably I find myself much more wrapped up in the second half of an episode than the first.  Though this is by no means universal to […] Read more

When it comes to telling a story, it’s often the case that less is more – and Isshuukan Friends has that figured out. This is definitely the season for good shows that are challenging to blog – I’ve already discussed this as regards Mushishi (which actually qualifies as “great” by […] Read more

In my continuing belief that there’s a Seinfeld quite for every situation, Isshuukan Friends is like gossamer – and you don’t dissect gossamer. For the second time in as many weeks I’m going to reference Sekai Soredemo wa Utsukushii in talking about this series.  It’s not as though the two […] Read more