This turned out to be a happier occasion than I expected. I was all set to mention yet again that reviewing OVAs for series we’ll never again see in anime form is kind of depressing, but there was a very happy surprise at the end of this one – an […] Read more
And so ends, more or less officially, the Summer 2013 season. And happily, it ends on a high note thanks to one of this year’s truly underrated anime. 26 episodes was pretty much the standard for anime back when I first became a huge fan. I’d guess (no, I haven’t […] Read more
It’s the quiet ones you have to watch out for. Mushibugyou is screaming towards the finish with all engines at full throttle, delivering big-time both in terms of action and character drama. It’s always nice when a series you imagine is going to be an entertaining trifle turns out to […] Read more
Come on, Mushibugyou – you almost got the eyecatch after the ED this week. I know you can do it! Kingdom 2 – 15 One of the interesting things that’s emerged over two seasons of Kingdom is the sense that great military commanders form a kind of unofficial brotherhood. And […] Read more
It’s not the size of the force that matters, it’s the man commanding it. Kingdom 2 – 14 As befitting the historical epic that it is, the scope and scale of Kingdom just keep getting more and more impressive. It’s a cutting reminder of just what a loss it is […] Read more
An eyecatch in the middle of the episode? How conventional… Kingdom 2 – 13 What’s really striking in watching the last few episodes of Kingdom is just what a huge gap exists between Xin and both his 300-man General rivals. For all their stylistic and personality differences – and they […] Read more
The big question for Mushibugyou – will it become the first anime to use an eyecatch during the preview? Mushibugyou – 21 Simply put, this was another excellent episode of a hugely underrated series. Fans of shounen have of course been down this road many times: like the training arc, […] Read more
The blood is really going to start flowing now. Kingdom 2 – 11 Kingdom is well and truly being staged on two fronts now, with this episode evenly split between the political battle at the capital and the military one on the front lines in the State of Wei. And […] Read more
Given the choice between Sanada and the Queen Dowager, I think I’d rather negotiate with him. Mushibugyou – 19 I confess I’ve grown so fond of Kuroageha now that when she’s absent, something seems missing. But there’s plenty to fuel the engine that drives this episode, even as she’s separated […] Read more
Both these shows were playing emotional hardball this week. Mushibugyou – 18 You know the drill with Mushibugyou by now. Great straight-ahead shounen, solid action, a little innocent sex and some comedy, and one of the more well-constructed plots of the Summer. And as usual, the meatiest moments are generated […] Read more